To turn the most die-hard of sceptics into competition converts, put them through an airport experience at either Delhi or Mumbai. In no time would they be agitating for alternatives to break the logjam that has started giving nightmares even to those unruffled by long queues, gross inefficiency and utter chaos. It is not an exaggeration that the departure lounge, especially at Delhi?s international terminal, needs an emergency ambulance service, if not an entire medical facility. The present travails of the country?s two most important gateways is the result not only of government apathy down the years, but that peculiar sarkari affinity for monopoly control. While almost every major city on the world?s air route map developed an alternative airport to ease congestion and offer competition, India was content to let passengers squeeze their sorry way through tinsheds serving as terminals. It is time to reverse this shortsightedness, and give India?s two big cities second airports. Air travellers deserve the prospect of relief.
This is not to discourage the current private-public alliances that are working hard to upgrade the existing airports in Delhi and Mumbai. They have a difficult task. With around 650 flights in and out of Delhi every day, a figure projected to touch 800 in a year, Dial, the entity running Delhi airport, has quite a job just ensuring that there?s no mishap. But by raising the pitch against a second airport, Dial is denying itself a stimulus that could do it much good, the force of competition. The experience in every sector has been that the end of monopoly has resulted in vastly better services and profits as well, thanks to a reinvigorated market. Dial?s short-term revenues may be hurt. But once civil aviation expands even further, with tax rationalisation enabling larger volumes of no-frill travel, there will be gains all around. In fact, a McKinsey study in the run up to the award of airport contracts had expected Delhi to get choked by 2010 and Mumbai by 2013, despite the capacity expansions. Dial may fear being outclassed by a new airport. But that depends on the services that Dial is able to provide and its catchment area. Moreover, a new airport in Noida, for example, would make sense from a civic perspective as well. The only caveat is that it should not have better terms than what Dial is operating on.
