The Kuala Lumpur International Airport can simultaneously handle 70 aircraft an hour, a figure Delhi and Mumbai put together cannot match. It has two independent runways and over 106 aircraft stands, enough to accommodate all the Indian carriers, should they be allowed to fly there. Over 46 airlines operate from this airport, which has been designed to meet traffic increases for the next seven years. The airport can be expanded to handle over a billion passengers.
For the seamless movement of passengers, there are 216 check-in counters and 146 immigration counters, while Delhi has barely over 20. Two aero-trains ferry passengers between terminal buildings and a super-fast express train connects the airport to Kuala Lumpur city. This integrated system could be replicated in Hyderabad.
A lot of care has been taken to preserve the environment and work around it. There is a lot of use of natural light, something that the Hyderabad Airport will see.
The Airport may have cost a packet but is paying back in revenue and tourist arrivals, which are up 25%. By the time India's Delhi and Mumbai Airports get going, Kuala Lumpur should be able to handle a hundred million passengers a year.
