The Benazir Bhutto International airport in Islamabad has been named among the worst airports in the world, according to a new survey. A survey conducted by Sleeping in Airports has ranked Islamabad airport on number nine on a list of the world’s 10 worst airports in 2015. The survey asked travelers to rate their airport experiences based on the services and facilities available within the terminal, cleanliness, customer service, comfort and their overall airport experience. This year, the dubious title of worst airport went to Nigeria’s Port Harcourt International Airport, which was also described as the “most corrupt airport in the world”. Jeddah’s crowded King Abdulaziz airport came in third place, while the airports of Kathmandu, Tashkent and Kabul were ranked fourth, fifth and seventh worst, respectively.
From the approach, to the parking and entry into the terminal building, the Islamabad airport can give any bus terminal in the country serious competition when it comes to the quality of planning. The check-in counters are a reminder of what bank branches looked like back in the era of nationalised banks, and the departure lounges are fit to be used as cattle pens. Boarding a flight is an equally frenzied experience, especially if it is raining, because this international airport in the capital city of a nuclear-armed nation does not have passenger boarding bridges or any covered approach to the aircraft.It is probably a good thing that the passengers surveyed for the list never used the VIP lounge because over there they have no such issues. It is high time that the tacky marvels of Islamabad, products of chronically malnourished aesthetics, be acknowledged for what they are, and the airport is as good a place to start as any. So let’s take some pride at this distinction, even if it is a little dubious, and let’s also take heart from the thought that soon the new terminal will be ready, and this distinction will be lost forever. Better late than never.
pk.shafaqna.com
