ISLAMABAD: After being globally vilified as the worst airport in the world last year, the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) has managed to claw its way back to respectability, dropping down to number nine on a 2015 list of the worst airports in the world.

Compiled by the website ‘Guide to Sleeping at Airports’, the list is put together on the basis of an annual of travellers who are asked 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.

The BBIA’s ranking no doubt benefitted from the recent facelift it received, including improvements to the terminal building, concourse hall, construction of a fast track building and a redesign of the airport’s infamous car park, as well as the business-class lounge.

However, corruption among airport staff and security personnel remained the most common complaint for reviewers on the Guide to Sleeping at Airports.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2015

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