India’s airports have seen a dramatic makeover in almost all metro cities and several tier-II towns, largely due to the entry of the private sector into airport infrastructure and management. Those who flew in the 1970s and 1980s may recall how decrepit airport infrastructure made the risk of a beam or an entire roof collapsing seem higher than an aircraft-related incident. Even major airports had a tired look and feel, a signature of the Airport Authority of India (AAI)’s management.

Now, almost all metropolitan airports — Mumbai and the National Capital Region have two each — have vastly improved facilities. Chennai, however, remains a glaring exception. In 2005-06, when the privatisation of metropolitan airports was in full swing, Tamil Nadu’s DMK government of the time rejected privatisation and forced the city to yield to another below-the-mark AAI facility. I recall attending the inauguration of two AAI facilities — Dabolim (Goa) and Chennai — and documenting their pronounced inadequacies.

Also Read: Home minister, aviation minister review passenger facilities at major airports

Recently, en route to Colombo from MOPA (Goa), via Chennai, I realised that unless you have a private car receiving you at the domestic arrival,........

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