Service quality redefines Coimbatore city airport

Coimbatore: The city airport has secured 11th position among the 14 airports managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey conducted by the Airports Council International (ACI). The city airport has improved its national ranking from 15th in 2023. The survey is a global benchmarking programme that measures passenger satisfaction at airports through detailed surveys and data collection.

In the global ranking, the city airport has seen a significant leap in the quality of service - from 145 last year to 81 this year. The airport improved its ratings in 23 of the 31 parameters evaluated in the survey. However, it still lags behind many other airports in India. Among the AAI-managed airports, Goa ranked first with a global position of 62, followed by Chennai (63) and Trichy (64).

"The city airport lags far behind other international and private airports in India in the service quality," said M Balachander, a frequent flyer. "The security check and baggage check-in counters are crowded during peak hours and need to be increased. The number of boarding counters should also be enhanced. Toilet facilities and vehicle parking also need improvement," he said.

Frequent flyers have been airing concerns time and again about the space crunch in the airport. According to D Prakash, another frequent flyer, the waiting area becomes very cluttered when there are three or four flights scheduled within an hour, due to limited space. "There is only a restaurant after the security check, and during peak hours, there isn't enough space to sit and eat. There should be adequate space for passengers."

He also flagged the limited options for taxi booking. "No one knows whether Wi-Fi is available or not. There's no message board indicating that free Wi-Fi is offered. The airport lacks this basic facility."

J Sathish, director, Kongu Global Forum, said the city airport lacked a business class lounge. "Tirupur and Coimbatore are known for their industries. industrialists frequently travel between important cities. Therefore, having such a facility at this airport is essential."

An official with the city airport said they had sensitised the staff to make better use of the available space and facilities. "Based on passenger feedback, we have increased the number of charging points and changed the layout to improve space utilisation. We have also optimised the use of scanners and addressed bottlenecks. ‘May I Help You' staff have been deployed to assist passengers. As a temporary measure during peak hours, we are providing an additional counter at the security check to reduce rush and waiting time," he said.

The official said they would coordinate with airlines to announce boarding gates earlier to avoid crowding in the waiting area after the security check. "We are also exploring the possibility of accommodating one more food court after realigning space in the post-security area."

Currently, there is no free Wi-Fi facility at the airport. "We are in the process of rolling out the Wi-Fi service this month. Passengers will be able to use the facility for 30 minutes free of charge," the official said.