In Focus

Chin up, Chennai

Perhaps the proverbial tortoise, the Chennai International Airport has finally taken a reality check and is tackling core issues like infrastructure. Sangeetha Neeraja charts the progress

Growth always has it proximate precipitators. One such is congestion, or increased passenger/aircraft movement. A clear example of this is the Chennai International Airport, with its recent meteoric increase in domestic passenger traffic close to six million in the last year from its moderate 4.17 million the year before.

This has led the airport authorities to revise its over-stretched and fast depleting infrastructural edifice. A year ago, the airport looked settled in its own sedate ways with its tired appearance and chaotic traffic. Today, it sports a new look and the influx of traffic is well contained.

The credit goes to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which was quick to gather its wits and elbow its way to make space for the impenitent rise in human and aircraft traffic. According to Dinesh Kumar, the airport director, AAI was quick to plan and implement an integrated change and improve infrastructure with due focus on decongestion and traffic management.

God speed

AAI has its inherent objectives of accelerating the integrated expansion and modernising airports to make them on par with international standards. What is praiseworthy is the way and the speed in which the expansion was planned and carried out without wavering from its focus of decongesting and introducing services for passengers.

"The budget earmarked for the year 2006-2007 was Rs 100 crore. With that at our disposal, we planned swiftly and acted in a synchronised manner, prioritising the areas of concern. Since we faced a dramatic increase of 39 per cent in the domestic passenger traffic in 2005-2006, we realised the urgency involved in tackling close to two million domestic passengers. We finally came to a decision to construct Departure II in the domestic terminal," Kumar reveals.

Capacity building in terms of infrastructure was inevitable. So plans were made to extend this development to the entire Chennai airport.

An enthusiastic Kumar adds, "The fundamental structural development is the core, but value additions will make the change more profound. For every traveller landing in Chennai, the first impression is definitely influenced by the look and the facilities available at the airport. Customer satisfaction played an important role in the changes we carried forward."

Domestic terminal: Departure II

Prior to April 2006, jostling one's way through the departure gate was like getting past the pearly gates. It was a single-point departure then and the check-in area was extremely small. The need for expansion made the planners make inventive use of the previously underutilised space, which resulted in the creation of some 1,000 sq mts. It has a dedicated traffic lane from the terminal from where five airlines take off.

From the unused space emerged Departure II. One can see the changes, right from the corridor outside the domestic terminal with a glass wall (that will be extended to the entire façade of the Chennai Airport both in the domestic and international terminals) where the over-walked tiles are replaced by vitrified anti-skid floor tiles. The change is more visible inside the passenger lounge. The same flooring continues inside that are spotted with plants. Sleek LCD screens adorn the walls and pillars; one LCD screen gives discerning passengers a map of the airport.

There is also a decent food court. The black signboards with white letters look aesthetic when compared with the old yellow ones. Check-in areas and visitor's lobbies have also seen expansions but the work is still in progress. Ample seating space and massage chairs (recliners) have made waiting comfortable.

BSNL has installed payphones inside the passenger lounge but the latest addition to Departure II is the music kiosks, where songs can be downloaded legally and cheaply for as low as Rs 5 into iPods, Mp3 players, pen drives and CDs.

Arrival

Expansion in this area is happening on similar lines and is still in progress. Its Security Hold Area (SHA) is being developed; the ground floor has already been expanded towards the air side to provide more space for the passengers. AAI now plans to install escalators here, creating a new SHA on the first floor, thereby diverting traffic and effectively managing congestion.

International terminal: Departure

AAI added about 1,200 sq mts of additional space to the international departure terminal in December last year. New modern trolleys with extra maneuverability were introduced. A new feature at the terminal is the recently installed and conspicuous revolving glass door that will have automatic security locks.

Feedback forms show that foreign visitors to the airport have expressed satisfaction. Meanwhile, work is under progress for the facelift of the façade near the corridor.

Arrival

A new block is under construction at two levels, which would add about 10,000 sq mts inclusive of both the levels. The authorities also plan to install an escalator here that will help decongest the area during arrival times. An in-line baggage inspection system has been introduced along with a new type of carousal baggage conveyor system instead of the flap-type conveyors. Kumar is confident that all expansion work will get done by April 2007.

Other facilities

• Parking stands

According to Kumar, there was a 35 per cent increase in the total aircraft movement at the Chennai airport during 2005-2006. To cope with the increased aircraft traffic and to keep up with the night parking requests, 19 additional aircraft parking stands have been added. In an effort to strengthen the secondary runway, the work on the lighting system is complete. Shoulders have also been provided on both sides for increased safety.

• Safety and security

Safety measures are followed as per the instructions of the ICAO. The fire and rescue personnel are exposed to regular fire drills and mock exercises to make them ready to meet any unforeseen contingencies.

• Human Resources

The AAI maintains a healthy relation with the trade union and it was pleasantly surprising to witness this sense of belonging in a bureaucratic government body. The various departments at work are involved in decision making. Kumar says, "The Chennai Airport is a place where consultative participatory management takes place. Every department plays a role in the management of the airport, everybody is made to feel important and given ear when they come up with new innovative ideas. All of us work together in a synergy."

He adds that the reason the development is fast paced is due to this sense of belonging the employees have about Chennai Airport, which has created a win-win situation for everybody. The staff of AAI is constantly trained by in-house training institutions like Delhi-based NIAMAR (National Institute of Airport Management & Research) and CATC (Civil Aviation Training Centre) in Allahabad.

• Commercial activities

Most of the airports worldwide generate 60-70 per cent of their revenue through non-aeronautical activities. The government of India has given total freedom to the AAI in raising revenue through non-aeronautical activities.

"The AAI in Chennai is poised to take full advantage of the clause. We have already made a start with city-side advertisement sites that bring in good business to AAI. Also, the international transit lounge has private lounges leased out by the AAI to hotels, who pay the lease money and maintain them, Kumar reveals.

Moreover, the few shops in the transit lounge will soon be expanded into malls. The AAI is looking at providing a real shopping experience to travellers and hopes to offer visitors a cultural experience of shopping.

Building a new domestic module over an area of five acres is a long-term plan. This module will come up next to the existing Kamaraj terminal and architectural designs for it from global consultants have already been received.

These expansions have evidently been planned keeping the future in mind without disrupting the present - even with so much construction activity, these modifications have caused minimal constraints to passenger comfort.