A modern feel and efficiency are two big requirements for air travelers while choosing the best airports across the world. Some airports, which used to be the best years ago, are now overcrowded, while some other airports have either weather problems or they lack sophisticated air traffic control. Airports in India have been spending huge money to upgrade their existing infrastructure. And the efforts have shown results Delhi and Mumbai airports have featured in the list of top 5 airports in the World in the 25-40 million passengers handling capacity category.
1. Indira Gandhi International Airport
Primary international airport of the National Capital Region of Delhi, India.
It is the busiest airport in India.
Has an annual capacity of over 60 million passengers.
Around 36.88 million passengers passed through it in 2013.
It has an integrated International and Domestic terminal. T3 is a 9 level passenger terminal building and has 2 piers each 1.2 km long.
The terminal is said to be the sixth largest in the world.
In 2010, Delhi's T3 terminal opened up after five years of development and spending of Rs 12,700 crore.
Delhi's IGI Airport was adjudged as the 2nd best. This is the third time in a row that IGIA has won the coveted award for airport service quality ASQ from ACI.
2. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
An international airport serving the metropolis of Hyderabad located at Shamshabad, about 22 km 14 mi south of Hyderabad. It's operated by a private company and handles around 7 million passengers a year.
The airport is excellent with world class facilities, including "in line" baggage screening machines, plenty of check-in and immigration counters to prevent delays, and good crowd control.
3. Bengaluru International Airport
Bangalore is the third busiest airport in India, with over 10 million passengers a year.
The airport has been constructed by a private company.
It opened in May 2008.
Spread over an area of approximately 4000 acres.
Single, fully air-conditioned, two-level building capable of accommodating nearly 3,000 international and domestic passengers at peak hours.
4. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
Covers an area of 1,450 acres and is located in the Mumbai suburbs of Santa Cruz and Sahar.
Mumbai airport handles 25 million passengers a year.
It was leased to a private operator in 2006 and is undergoing major renovation and upgrade. A new domestic terminal is operational, and a new international terminal has been inaugurated and is due to open by February 2014.
Currently, long lines for security checks when entering the airport still pose a problem during peak travel times at night.
5. Chennai International Airport
Chennai airport is the main hub for arrivals and departures in south India.
It handles around 8 million passengers a year, over half of which are flying domestically.
The airport is operated by the Indian government and a redevelopment of its terminals is currently being carried out.
The new domestic terminal was opened in April 2013 and the international terminal was commissioned a few months later.
While it's functional, further ongoing work is needed to complete the infrastructure.
7. Agatti Airport
Situated on an island in the middle of Indian Ocean, this 4000 ft long Airport has only one passenger terminal and is served by only two airlines, namely Indian Airlines and Kingfisher Airlines. Both these airlines operate flights between Agatti Island and Cochin. While Kingfisher Airlines offers flights between Agatti Island and Bangalore. Agatti Island is a tiny 7 km long island and it can be easily covered on foot or by bicycle.
8. Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport
One of the highest airports in the world at 3,256 m 10,682 ft above mean sea level.
9. Jubbarhatti Airport
Shimla Airport is an airport located in Jabarhatti, 22 kilometres from Shimla in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The airport was constructed by cutting down a mountaintop and leveling the area to form the single runway. The small apron has space for two small aircraft Dornier Do 228 to park simultaneously. The small terminal can handle 50 persons for arriving flights, but only 40 for departing flights.
10. Lengpui Airport
The airport is connected by daily flights with Kolkata and Guwahati and three flights a week with Imphal and is located at a distance of 32 km from Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram. Lengpui Airport is the first large airport in the country to be built by the State Government. The airport is among the three airports in India that has a table top runway, which creates an optical illusion.
