Government asks airlines to ensure last bag arrives at baggage belt within 30 minutes
Civil aviation security regulator Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has asked airlines to deploy adequate manpower in 10 days so that passengers don’t have to wait at airports for their luggage.
The regulator on Friday wrote to airlines saying that the first bag should arrive at the baggage belt in 10 minutes of the aircraft shutting down the engine whereas the last bag within 30 minutes.
In January, BCAS monitored baggage arrival time of all airlines at six metro airports- Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai on a weekly basis and found that they were not according to the standard set in Operation, Management and Delivery Agreement (OMDA).
OMDA is the contractual agreement that Airport Authority of India had signed with Delhi and Mumbai airports during their privatization in 2006. It defines standards of service that the airports have to provide to passengers.
“The above monitoring is currently being done at six major airports, However, BCAS has directed the airlines to ensure that the mandated levels are achieved in all airports where they fly,” the regulator said in a statement.
Recently, the civil aviation ministry has been actively monitoring issues of congestion at major airports.
Last week, the government forced Mumbai Airport to reduce flights as the airport had given excessive slots which was causing congestion leading to a situation where aircraft were hovering above the airport for as long as 60 minutes.
The government had mandated that any addition of new flights has to
