Private airlines seek free hand in ground handling

New Delhi: All private airlines have sought permission from the civil aviation ministry to retain ground handling facilities even after the new aviation policy comes into effect in 2009.
The new ground handling policy allows only three agencies — the airport operator, subsidiary companies of Air India, Indian or their joint ventures, and any other ground handling service provider selected through competitive bidding on a revenue sharing basis — to conduct ground handling services after January 1, 2009.
The CEOs of private airlines sought the permission to retain ground handling activities — at least till the customer checks in — at a meeting chaired by civil aviation secretary Ashok Chawla, recently. The restrictions would be in place across six metro airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
Ground handling work entails two basic activities — passenger handling at the landside and ramp, including loading and unloading of aircraft and aircraft handling.
11/10/07 Raja Awasthi & Dheeraj Tiwari/Economic Times

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Categories: Airports Nov 2007