Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad

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India's airports are making a mark on the international aviation map. Two airports from India have bagged the top honours from the Airport Council International.

While the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad has been ranked as the world's best airport (in the 5 to 15 million passengers category), Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) was conferred the fourth best airport award in the world (in the 15-25 million category) and 'Best Improved Airport' in the Asia Pacific Region in recognition of its substantial improvement in passenger amenities.

The Airports Council International (ACI) is an autonomous and independent body that rates the airports on 34 parameters which included services of key regulatory agencies at the airport like customs, immigration, security, ground handling, ambience of the airport, cleanliness of the terminals, passenger satisfaction etc.

The awards were presented in China by the Airport Council International, which has 575 members operating over 1,633 airports in 179 countries.

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Image: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.

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Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad

Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has been rated the world's number one airport in the category of airports handling 5 to 15 million passengers by the Airport Council International.

The Hyderabad airport has also been voted as the fifth best airport worldwide.

P Sripathy, chief executive of Hyderabad airport, said the prestigious award will motivate the staff and other stakeholders in the airport to improve its services further. "It is an important recognition for us, which will inspire us to improve our operation even further," he said.

The RGIA handles about 6.4 million passengers annually. Commercial flight operations began from the Hyderabad airport from March 2008.

The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is the second public-private partnership venture among Indian airports, after the Cochin International Airport.

With one of India's longest runways (4260 metres), the airport is designed to handle 12 million passengers, more than 100,000 metric tonne of cargo and 90,000 ATM (air traffic movements) per annum in the initial phase.

RGIA is also the first airport in Asia and second in the world to be awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Silver Rating for its eco-friendly design. Austin, Cancun, Nagoya, Jacksonville are the other airports that won in the 5-15 million passengers-per-year category