Air travel is not a novelty anymore, no one makes an occasion out of it…oh wait, everyone in Pakistan actually does make a huge deal when someone travels. All those crowds of ‘well wishers’ at the airport gates speak to the authenticity of this statement. Now, because of the frequency of air travel, the use of airports has become common, obviously. And it is important for an airport to maintain its standards to generate good profits for its country.
Unfortunately, these airports are a disgrace for their countries because they have been ranked worst in the world, in a survey of travelers conducted by the website ‘Sleeping in Airports’. The reasons given were the airports’ lack of maintenance, rampant corruption and mismanagement in general. See if you can find a familiar airport, or two:
1. Port Harcourt International Airport (Nigeria)
A traveler commented about the Worst Airport of 2015, “This has to be the most corrupt airport in the world. ‘Bring money’ as they say in PH. It’s a standing joke.”
2. King Abdulaziz International Airport (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
Travelers are particularly annoyed by the chaotic, utterly mismanaged Hajj terminal. But there is hope since a new airport is being built to open mid 2016.
3. Tribhuvan International Airport (Kathmandu, Nepal)
The sole runway of the airport was damaged in March 2015 when a Turkish Airlines plane crashed on the runway. Further damage was done after the April 2015 earthquake. The already struggling country has scrambled to repair the airport amidst a national emergency.
4. Tashkent International Airport (Uzbekistan)
Source: elitereaders.com
This airport is notorious for long delays in processing passengers. One traveler exclaimed, ” the number one activity waiting.”
5. Simon Bolivar International Airport (Caracas, Venezuela)
“I’ve been to many airports but this airport…. biggest chaos ever, no matter if you´re at the international or domestic airport,” said one very irritated traveler.
6. Toussaint Louverture International Airport (Port au Prince, Haiti)
Source: wnyc.org
The staff is “untrustworthy”, according to travelers and there are literally no facilities, like chairs are absent from this airport. Moreover, what facilities do exist, they are very rudimentary.
7. Hamid Karzai International Airport (Kabul, Afghanistan)
Source: Daily Mail
“Kabul International Airport has NO Facility at all. Adding it will be an improvement” – a disgruntled passenger.
8. Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
Source: Airlines Inform
The most common complaint by travelers was the problem of bribery that was common among the staff to “lube the machinery” of the airport. Other complaints include poor Wi-Fi signals, dirty bathrooms and limited selection of restaurants.
9. Benazir Bhutto International Airport (Islamabad, Pakistan)
Source: dunyanews.tv
This one, we’re sure, is a familiar name to you all. The capital’s international airport, also known simply as the Islamabad airport, is notorious among the big airports of Pakistan for being the worst. It was also ranked the worst airport of 2014 in a survey conducted by the same people, so apparently things have improved.
10. Beauvais-Tille International Airport (Paris, France)
Source: emirates247.com
This was voted as the worst airport in Europe for a lack of chairs, courteous staff, hygienic washrooms and free WiFi. Free WiFi? Like that even matters when you don’t have a clean bathroom to pee in peace, in.
