Airline baggage delivery delays decline
Baggage delivery delays at six major airports have reduced marginally in the past fortnight with ground handling companies deploying extra resources for the job.
This follows Bureau of Civil Aviation Security’s February 16 instructions to domestic airlines on delivery of all checkin bags within thirty minutes of a flight arrival. Airlines were given 10 days to implement measures to cut delivery delays.
A Civil Aviation ministry official said there is an improvement in baggage delivery, but it is still not at the desired level. “It’s a work in progress,” he said.
Operational constraint at airports is main grouse cited by airlines for delays. IndiGo is facing difficulty in delivering bags in thirty minutes due to non availability of enough staff and equipment.
At IndiGo, we constantly
Airport service quality guidelines at Delhi and Mumbai stipulate that the first bag should be delivered in 10 minutes and the last bag in 30 minutes after the arrival in case of domestic flights
evaluate and evolve our processes and personnel to ensure efficiency and enhance the customers' overall journey. We are committed to providing a hasslefree experience for our passengers, an Indigo representative said.
IMPROVING SITUATION
On their part, airlines and ground handling companies are stepping up their efforts following BCAS intervention.
AISATS which provides ground handling services to
Tata group owned airlines has added more electric tugs at Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad for quicker bag delivery. Staff strength too has been enhanced for offloading of bags.
“We delivered 99 per cent of all bags in thirty minutes at Delhi airport last month,” said AISATS CEO Sanjay Gupta.
AIASL which provides handling services at Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata has reallocated available resources to efficiently handle peak hour arrivals, said CEO Rambabu Ch.
For instance, airport service quality requirements at Delhi and Mumbai stipulate that first bag will be delivered in ten minutes and last bag in 30 minutes after arrival in case of domestic flights. In case of international it is 15 and 40 minutes respectively.
30-MINUTE NORM
Airline executives say implementation of 30minute norm isn’t easy given the operational issues. Factors like assigned parking bay and type of aircraft play a part. For instance, transporting bags from a remote bay takes longer than ones situated close to terminal.
Congestion at airports is also an issue with aircraft missing their scheduled time of arrivals. This results in changes in bay allocation impacting ground handling efficiency. “All these factors are known. When airlines and airports have signed up to maintain certain service standards they should work towards it,” said an industry expert.
Construction work at airport is another factor influencing on time performance. A taxiway at Chennai airport is being strengthened at present and that has resulted in closure of seven bays near terminal 1. This has impacted delivery of bags as some aircraft are now assigned remote bays. “The situation will improve after completion of construction,” an official said.