In 2005/2006 about 90% of my flying was to/from Indian airports.
This year it's down to 40%
The biggest problem in India is that the infrastructure is simply not there - Pilots/ATC have to work within the limits of the current infrastructure. The current infrastructure cannot cope with the traffic volume - several airports already have parking problems.
In Delhi during the peak hours I have encountered the following:-
Simultaneous use of Rwy 27 & 28.
Traffic to each runway is on a separate frequency. The problem is that the departure tracks intersect about 1 mile past the end of both runways. If they get the staggered take-offs wrong there is a threat of a collision (hear there have been a number of close calls already).
Extreme frequency congestion.
The same controller handles inbound traffic and overflying traffic. Poor guy is completely overloaded - overflying traffic will give a poistion report which is acknowledged by the controller. 10 minutes later the same aircraft is called and asked to repeat the information previously acknowledged.
The situation is not helped by non-existant radio discipline or by frequent calls of "Happy Landings" or "Hi Capt XXXX". ATC sometimes has to call 3 to 4 times to get hold of an aircraft and clearances are frequently misread without any correction from ATC.
Ops/Dispatch does
not operate on 121.5
Basic IFR procedures not being followed
I've lost of how many times I've entered the hold in Delhi without an Expected Approach Time. I've never received one despite repeated requests - this is simply unacceptable. The best I can get is my number in sequence.
Animals
Had a dog-like animal cross the runway ahead of me during take-off. I think it was a Jackal - hear they have some living on the infield
Apron Ops
Problems don't end once you've landed. They're very good at pushing aircraft back so that your route to the gate is blocked. Simply pushing back to a different location or pulling the aircraft forward will solve a lot of these problems. Common sense is lacking. Ground frequency is almost as congested as approach.
All of the above combined with continually increasing numbers of aircraft and decreasing experience levels on the Flightdeck are a lethal combination IMHO.
The fact that nothing has happened yet means they have been extremely lucky but the holes are definitely lining up.