Terminal 3 at IGI airport opens tomorrow. Across Asia, new levels of style and efficiency distinguish airports, redefining the once simple act of travel.
This could well be the motto of airlines, given the quality of airports in east and south-east Asia, compared to those in Europe. Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and now T3, Delhi’s newest, are all not just big on space (we’re talking 5.4 million square metres here) but also on style. Compared to the crowded, dull and unfriendly airports at Frankfurt, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Vienna and their like, this is Asian warmth and seductiveness at its best.
Asia rising
As many as seven of the 12 largest airport terminals in the world in terms of floor area are in Asia. The non-Asian mega-terminals are in Mexico, Madrid, Barcelona and, of course, Dubai. This is understandable, as traffic growth in the next 20 years is expected to come from Asia. According to Airbus’s forecast, traffic in Asia will grow by 6 per cent every year till 2028, compared to only 4.3 per cent in Europe and 2.4 per cent in North America.
This optimism is reflected in Delhi’s new offering. Built by a consortium led by the GMR group, T3 is much bigger than Singapore’s Changi Terminal 3 and 2 put together, or even the famed Incheon Airport in Seoul and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport’s Terminal 1, and one third of the world’s largest terminal — Dubai’s Terminal 3.
T3 is not yet quite the ‘mall-attached-to-airport’ like Changi. Changi’s T3 has a cinema theatre, hotel, spa, shops and scores of Internet terminals. T3 will have an airport hotel and many shops, but not yet a cinema theatre! Check this out. It has four boarding piers, 48 boarding gates, 63 elevators and 78 aerobridges, which include three aerobridges that cater exclusively to the Airbus A380. Besides, there are 168 check-in and 90 immigration counters, with a special counter for business and first-class travellers. Its 118-metre ‘travelator’ will be the longest in Asia.
The travel industry agrees that east and south-east Asia, including India, are now way ahead of Europe in quality of airports and airport services. Kapil Kaul, who heads the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, an aviation consultancy firm, says: “Asian airports provide the best services in the world and are far superior to European airports. Even airports like Heathrow have a lot of service issues.”
Most European airports do not have enough land to expand, explains Kaul, and growing opposition to noise pollution from citizens living around the airports means their ability to expand is limited. “Asian airports are mostly greenfield projects with lots of land to expand. Regulat ory clearances, which take over 18 months in Europe, take much less time in Asia,” he adds. Besides, unlike their European counterparts, Asian airport companies have built the infrastructure ahead of demand, which has greatly served to ease congestion.
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G R Gopinath, who pioneered the low cost carrier revolution in India through Air Deccan, has a similar view. “European airports are old and have limited opportunity to grow, unlike Asian airports. Also, there are large companies which support these airports, which will also be key to sustain the New Delhi airport.”
Customer first
What makes Asian airports so attractive is that they have the customer and his convenience firmly in mind in crucial parameters such as the time taken to get in and out of airports and baggage handling. Frequent flyers reckon immigration at Asian airports is over 50 per cent faster than in Europe. “The luggage handling system in Asian airports is also far superior to Europe and US,” feels Ankur Bhatia, executive director of the Bird Group and managing director of Amadeus, a global reservations system.
Immigration, the visitor’s first point of contact with a foreign country, is also much faster in Asian airports. “Immigration at the Changi airport in Singapore takes around 10 minutes, if there aren’t too many flights. But in the US and Europe it can take 30 minutes to an hour,” Vijay Verghese, editor of Hong Kong-based travel portal, smarttravelasia.com, says from experience. Add to that Changi’s courteous immigration officials who even offer passengers sweets as they scrutinise and stamp their passports. For residents of Hong Kong, it takes less than two minutes with a card scanner clearing them for immigration, adds Verghese. Alan Wilkins, who travels the world as anchor for ESPN-Star Sports, reports a similar experience: “Landing at Los Angeles can be an ordeal and immigration can take ages; even Heathrow can be bad in peak hours. Changi is a dream.”
Delhi airport is trying to replicate some of these experiences. Specially trained immigration officials have been asked to complete formalities in two minutes, a customer-care desk has been set up and special sensors installed which will identify very large bags on the conveyer belt and enable them to be shifted to a bigger belt so that delivery is faster. This is still a far cry from Beijing, where smart young immigration officers take less than a minute and also invite passengers to evaluate their performance by pressing a button for ‘happy’ or ’not happy’.
Stay connected
Most Asian airports have Internet kiosks, business lounges and hotels for overnight stay. Sumitra Senapaty, founder of Women on Wanderlust, a travel club for women, rates Hong Kong’s business class lounge, designed by Norman Foster, as one of the best in the world. Hong Kong airport also has the longest cocktail bar in the world. Its most innovative offering is, of course, the pay-per-use lounge, where passengers, irrespective of airline or class, can shower, get a place to rest, listen to music and watch TV — for only around US$48.
Singapore, frequent flyers report, has a hotel conveniently attached to the airport, with a wake-up service so you are never in danger of missing your flight. In terms of connectivity too, Asian airports are far ahead of their counterparts in the West. Says Verghese: “I like the Internet stations in Hong Kong and Singapore. Those in the US are often patchy and low on speed.”
Fringe benefits
That’s not all Asian airports have to offer. “The amenities at Singapore’s Changi include an indoor orchid garden, a rooftop swimming pool, themed television lounges and a free sight-seeing tour for those who have at least five hours prior to a connecting flight,” informs Karan Anand, head, relationships and supplier management at travel agency Cox and Kings. Seoul’s Incheon is the other Asian airport with wide-ranging services — a hair salon, children’s play room and business centre with overseas shipping services. To ensure passengers’ convenience, Incheon’s website lists the number of hours they must wait to avail these services. For instance, if you have an eight-hour wait, the site will recommend a shower and massage.
| Airport/Terminals | Size (in terms of floor area) | Annual Capacity |
| Terminal 3 at the Dubai International airport | 1,500,000 sq metres | 60 million |
| Terminal 3 at the Beijing International Airport | 986,000 sq metres | 43 million |
| Hong Kong International Airport | 570,000 sq metres | 35 million |
| Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok | 563,000 sq metres | 45 million |
| Mexico City International Airport | 548,000 sq metres | 32 million |
| Barcelona Airport | 544,066 sq metres | 55 million |
| Dubai International Airport Terminal 1 | 515,000 sq metres | 33 million |
| Terminal 3 at IGI Delhi | 502,000 sq metres | 34 million |
| Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea | 496,000 sq metres | 30 million |
| Terminal 4 at Barajas Airport, Madrid, Spain | 470,000 sq metres | 35 million |
| Information: Industry sources | ||
What about duty-free shopping? Senapaty is of the view that Indian duty-free shops are the cheapest — most items are cheaper by $2 to $4. But the problem here is the lack of variety. “Hong Kong offers an excellent choice of liquor and perfumes, while premium chocolates and gourmet food products are better in Europe,” she says. Verghese, on the other hand, has found that Hong Kong and Singapore sometimes have the cheapest prices for liquor, perfumes and ties. Bhatia swears by Bangkok. “The duty-free shop there is far better than a lot of European airports; it offers a wider range of brands to choose from.”
City connectivity is yet another key element of a good airport. Kuala Lumpur, says Anand, has the KLI Express that takes a visitor from airport to city centre in 20 minutes flat. Wilkins finds Changi the best in this respect, while Incheon, which is far away from the centre of the city, is impressive, too, with taxis and buses easily available. In comparison, Heathrow’s main problem, Wilkins feels, is that it is too expensive.
Closer home, with a metro service starting operations in a few months that will ferry visitors from the airport to the city in 18 minutes and provide check-in facilities at three stations en route, Delhi is vying to be right there at the top.
So whether it is efficiency you’re looking for, or more sybaritic pleasures, travel has been redefined. With spas, designer shops, gourmet cuisine, galleries, gardens and swimming pools, Asian airports are no longer just transit hangars. They are plazas of pleasure.
With additional reporting by Mihir Mishra, Ruchika Chitravanshi