Srinagar Airport Ranked Lowest in Service Quality Among 15 Airports
Srinagar: The Srinagar International Airport has achieved its lowest quarterly ranking since 2017 in a global airport service quality rating based on passenger feedback. Among the 15 airports that run under Airports Authority of India (AAI), which participated in the survey, Srinagar Airport is the only aerodrome to receive negative ratings in the fourth quarter of last year (October to December, 2024).
The Srinagar Airport received -0.48 as the difference in Airport Service Quality (ASQ) rating of the fourth quarter of 2024 over the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) target. Notably, AAI has an MoU with each of its airports for service levels.
In the rankings of 15 airports which participated in the survey, Trichy Airport received the highest rating of 0.29 followed by Indore Airport at 0.28, Goa Airport at 0.24, Pune 0.23, Bhubaneswar and Varanasi airports at 0.22, Kolkata and Chennai airports at 0.21, Calicut Airport received 0.18, Raipur Airport 0.16, Amritsar 0.10, Coimbatore 0.03 and Patna Airport got 0.02 ratings.
Pertinent to mention that Srinagar Airport, which has featured at the bottom in the ratings in the fourth quarter of 2024 had received a negative rating of -0.24 in the third quarter ( July to September) of 2024.
The nosedive in quality service ratings at the Srinagar Airport reflects unfavourable responses across key parameters, including staff assistance, WiFi services, reduced queueing times at security and check-in counters, and terminal navigation signage. Passengers have time and again expressed dissatisfaction regarding flight connection convenience, insufficient charging points, retail outlet standards, staff behaviour and persistent washroom hygiene issues.
The Airport Council International’s (ACI) airport service quality (ASQ) assessment remains the globally acknowledged benchmark for measuring passenger satisfaction throughout their airport experience. The evaluation framework encompasses 31 ASQ parameters, systematically categorised by their operational aspects. Passengers rate each criterion on a five-point scale. While the global airport average stands at 4.3, Srinagar Airport achieved an abysmal score of 4.2 in the most recent evaluation.
When contacted, Director, Srinagar Airport, Javed Anjum said efforts are being made to improve passenger service at the Srinagar International Airport. Anjum said his office has written to the AAI headquarters expressing concern over low ratings.
“These ratings are quite a surprise especially when we are trying our best to improve services. We have requested our head office to seek the survey documentation from Airport Council International, so that we get more clarity on the process of the survey and its different nuances,” said Anjum. He said all possible efforts are being made to make facilities better at the airport terminal. It may be recollected that interestingly, Srinagar Airport got second rank in the category of 2-5 million passengers in ACI-ASQ Survey in the year 2017. (GK)
