India's ‘top-ranked’ airport has zero flights, won’t resume operation before October: Social media reacts

Khajuraho Airport has topped India's Customer Satisfaction Index despite having zero flights. This unusual result has surprised many across the aviation industry. It’s because not a single scheduled aircraft has landed there through July. The airport won't see flights resume until October, officials say.

Khajuraho was previously connected only to Delhi and Varanasi. Both scheduled services have remained suspended since 1 July. Airport director Santosh Singh confirmed to TOI that flights wouldn't resume until October.

On paper, Khajuraho seems like an ideal regional airport. It features a proper terminal built in the late 1960s. The airport first saw commercial flights back in 1978.

For decades, it served tourists visiting Khajuraho's UNESCO World Heritage temples. Today, though, it resembles a facility simply awaiting passengers.

The paradox reveals something deeper about measuring passenger satisfaction. Smaller airports naturally avoid the pressures of larger hubs. Delhi alone handled over 77 million passengers last year, according to TOI.

Major airports often struggle with long queues and congestion. Baggage delays and parking shortages remain common complaints there. Smaller facilities simply don't face these operational pressures at all.

Fewer passengers generally means happier, less frustrated travellers overall. This pattern appears across other industries as well. Boutique hotels often outperform larger convention hotels in surveys.

Quieter medical facilities frequently score better than crowded hospitals, too. Aviation experts suggest similar dynamics are at play here.

How India ranks airports

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) runs this index twice a year. Independent agencies survey travellers across 33 key service parameters. These include cleanliness, security experience, and baggage-handling efficiency, The Times of India reported.

Wi-Fi availability, seating comfort and staff behaviour also feature. Washroom hygiene is another important measured category. Scores combine into a composite rating out of five.

Crucially, the index doesn't measure flight numbers or traffic. Connectivity between destinations plays no role in scoring either. This explains how a flightless airport can rank highest.

This raises questions about how India ranks its airports overall. Should the connectivity feature be alongside customer satisfaction in future rankings? Global airport awards typically combine several different performance dimensions.

These include punctuality, connectivity and operational efficiency alongside service quality. India's current index effectively rewards passenger experience alone, though.

Social Media Reaction

Meanwhile, news that Khajuraho Airport topped the list has drawn many sharp responses on social media.

Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Singhvi wrote, “Perhaps the secret to perfect governance is simple: no service, no complaints; no passengers, only satisfaction. If only public policy worked that way.”

“Khajuraho airport is ranked India's best Airport without operating a single flight. Likewise, 7 new airports launched in UP, 6 closed. Kushinagar is India's most advanced airport, where only frequent flyers are mosquitoes. This is how they waste crores of taxpayers’ money,” wrote another social media user.

“If an underutilised airport can be maintained to such high standards, why can’t an airport with actual passenger traffic receive the same attention?” asked another user.

One user quipped, “To visit India's top-ranked airport- Khajuraho airport, take a train to Khajuraho railway station, followed by a 10-minute rickshaw ride. Because no flights currently operate from there.”