Delhi's IGI Airport Rated as ‘Best Improved Airport’ at ACI Awards

Ranked 4^th best in the world in its category on Airport Service Quality Rating

New Delhi, February 18, 2010: Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has been ranked 4^th best airport in the world at the Airport Council International’s (ACI) Annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards. It received this prestigious rating for airports in the 15 -25 million passenger traffic per annum category. IGIA was also top ranked as the ‘Best Improved Airport’ in the Asia Pacific Region by the ACI.

Delhi International Airport (P) Limited, a joint venture consortium led by global infrastructure major GMR Group took charge of the airport in May 2006 under the Public Private Partnership Initiative of the Govt. of India. In 2006 when its transition was effected, IGIA’s ASQ rating was 3.02 points, which went up to 3.15 points in 2008. This figure jumped to 4.16 points for the year 2009. (ASQ rating is measured on a scale of 1 to 5 points with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest)

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. GM Rao, Group Chairman – GMR Group said, “It is a matter of pride and honour to receive these two recognitions for IGI Airport. When we took charge of IGIA in 2006, we had set ourselves a goal to be among top ten airports in the world in terms of service quality in the overall category. This rating has vindicated our persistent efforts and going further, with the impending inauguration of the state of the art Terminal 3 in July this year – IGI will surely achieve its dream.”

Mr. PS Nair, CEO – Delhi International Airport (P) Limited said “This dual distinction is a great motivating factor for us. The achievement is a result of the effort put in by all the stakeholders at the airport and I would like to thank them all for their support. We are confident that with the opening of T3, IGIA’s ratings will improve even further.”

The upcoming Terminal 3 will help Delhi Airport build a capacity to handle 60 mppa by 2010. With the state of the art facilities, passengers will greatly benefit as check-in and security clearances will be faster and less obtrusive. The ultra modern terminal will also incorporate several features for the convenience of physically challenged passengers.

ACI, considered as the voice of the world’s airports has 575 members operating over 1633 airports in 179 countries and territories. The ASQ awards rank top performing airports in the annual ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) passenger survey. As a leading industry benchmarking tool, ASQ is designed to help participating airports to measure their improvement year on year, as well as to benchmark against their peers worldwide, within their region and in the same size category. A reliable monitor of airport service, ASQ is used by many airports as one of the key performance indicators of the airport’s service.

The airports are rated on 34 parameters under 10 broad categories, some of which are directly or indirectly attributable to a host of other agencies at the airport, including key regulatory and facilitating agencies like Customs, Immigration, CISF, Airlines and Ground Handlers. These categories include: the ambience of the airport, cleanliness of the terminal, comfort of the waiting areas, availability of washrooms, cleanliness of washrooms, courtesy and helpfulness of the airport staff, business lounges, ease of making connections, passport / ID inspection experience and good shopping facilities. The Awards will be formally presented on 13th May, 2010 during a gala dinner at the ACI Asia-Pacific Regional Conference & Exhibition to be held in Hainan, China.

About Airports Council International: In 1991 airport operators around the world created Airports Council International – the first worldwide association to represent their common interests and foster cooperation with partners throughout the air transport industry. Airports Council International is the association of the world’s airports. It is a non profit organisation, whose prime purpose is to advance the interests of airports and to promote professional excellence in airport management and operations. By fostering cooperation amongst airports, world aviation organisations and business partners, ACI makes a significant contribution to providing the travelling public with an air transport system that is safe, secure, efficient and environmentally responsible. Today it has 575 members operating over 1633 airports in 179 countries and territories.

About DIAL : Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd (DIAL) is a joint venture company; comprising the Bangalore headquartered global Infrastructure major GMR Group with a significant pan-India and International presence, Airports Authority of India, Fraport and MAMPL of Malaysian Airports. DIAL is working towards the modernization and restructuring of the Delhi Airport. The project being developed by DIAL under Public Private Partnership has been given the mandate to finance, design, build, operate and maintain the Delhi Airport for 30 years with an option to extend it by another 30 years.