October this year, about 63 complaints were lodged with the airport officials
Chennai airport
Chennai: Its makeover cost the exchequer more than Rs 2,000 crore, but the modernised Chennai airport has been at the receiving end of several complaints from fliers right from the time it was inaugurated last year.
While frequent incidents, such as the collapse of wall ceilings and glass panels figure prominently in media reports, poor housekeeping of the expanded terminals, particularly the state of its toilets, have contributed to the persisting bad image of the state-operated airport.
“I travelled from the United States recently and exited through the old international arrival terminal, which really had a foul odour. As for the yet-to-be commissioned new arrival hall why isn’t there any urgency to open it soon?” said Sandhya Lakshmi, a resident of Houston, Texas.
According to data, till October this year, about 63 complaints were lodged with the airport officials. In 2013, the number of grievances lodged with the authorities was 89, while in 2012, the number stood at 83.
H.S. Suresh, airport director, told DC that they considered all complaints lodged as valuable feedback since passengers were their prime patrons. He cited examples of a few grievances that had been acted upon immediately.
“Recently, there was feedback regarding restroom cleanliness. After our study, we have implemented a system whereby the passenger toilets are manned 24x7 to ensure cleanliness. Likewise there was a demand to increase the free timings for car parking, which we have enhanced to 10 minutes from five minutes,” the Airport Director said.
An airport official said that they had been striving to correct any shortcomings, more so after Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathy Raju held a personal inspection in September this year. Significantly, he had then said, “Chennai is a prime city and it has not got what it deserves as an airport.”
( Source : dc )
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