Port Harcourt International
Airport, Omagwa and Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos have
been rated among the worst 20 airports.
This is outcome of a survey by
renowned aviation organization, Sleep in Airport (sleepinairports.net).
The website ranked Lagos the
fifth worst airport in the world, while Port Harcourt was ranked the third
worst airport globally.
The criteria used included
comfort (gate seating and availability of rest zones), services, facilities and
things to do, food options, immigration/security, customer service,
cleanliness, navigation and ease of transit and sleepability.
The website explained that the
airports that appeared on the list of worst airports in the world are those
that have the capacity to truly offend travellers.
“Within these terminals, there
appears to be a general disinterest in a positive traveller experience. In some
cases, passengers are made to stand or sit on the floor as they await their
flights. In others, the bathrooms don’t have water, toilet paper, or any
semblance of cleanliness,” it said.
“In some cases, the physical
structure of the airport is fine, but the personnel are the problem. Got a
problem? Don’t expect much in terms of customer service at these airports.
“If you find yourself travelling
through one of these 20 terminals, brace yourself. You’ll want to give yourself
just enough time to get in and get out. A minute more and you’ll be unhappy and
uncomfortable – a minute less, and you risk missing your flight”, it added.
In order of ranking, the worst
five airports in the world comprised Juba International Airport, South Sudan
(JUB), Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport, Saudi Arabia (JED), Port
Harcourt International Airport, Nigeria (PHC), Crete Heraklion International
Airport, Greece (HER) and Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Nigeria
(LOS).
Others are Santorini Thira
National Airport, Greece (JTR), Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere International
Airport, Tanzania (DAR), Rhodes International Airport, Greece (RHO), Paris
Beauvais-Tille Airport, France (BVA), Tashkent International Airport,
Uzbekistan (TAS) and London Luton International Airport, England (LTN).
Others on the list were Rome
Ciampino International Airport, Italy (CIA), Kathmandu Tribhuvan International
Airport, Nepal (KTM), New York City LaGuardia, USA (LGA), Chania International
Airport, Greece (CHQ), Caracas Simón Bolívar International Airport, Venezuela
(CCS), Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China (CAN), Cluj International
Airport, Romania (CLJ), Islamabad Benazir Bhutto International Airport,
Pakistan (ISB), and Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, Ethiopia (ADD).
On Port Harcourt airport, the
website said for this year’s survey, respondents indicated that aggressive
corruption was the biggest problem, with airport officials and staff allegedly
demanding bribes for pretty much everything.
Other complaints included lack of
bathroom facilities, lack of air conditioning, horrible baggage handling, and
the tent that serves as the arrival terminal.
Port Harcourt airport last year
was ranked the worst airport in the world by the same website.
On Lagos airport, the website
said for many voters, there appears to be no discernible difference in the
operations and facilities of the Lagos International Airport, but travellers
also complained of massive corruption at the airport.
Others were filthy bathrooms,
limited seating, archaic check-in procedures, sporadic air conditioning, and
lousy customer service.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
The airports need massive improvements in all areas. On the part of the personnel, there should be conscious efforts to avoid bribery and corruption etc,etc,etc
ReplyDelete