Airport drivers a safety hazard

Chennai: Most airlines outsource their ground-handling operations except Indian and Air India, which have their own staff to drive the buses that ferry passengers from terminals to the waiting aircraft at parking bays.
All private airlines engage agencies that claim to have a pool of qualified drivers to operate the buses, but the recent accidents at the airport puts a question mark on their claim.
More than 500 workers are employed at the Chennai airport by several agencies that carry out different groundhandling work.
Outsourcing has been stretched to its limits by the airlines who do not want to focus on issues that lie beyond their core-strength. The bus that killed Shiva, an airport worker, was driven by Leo King, who works for PSM Aviation, while the vehicle he drove belongs to SRS Travels. In cases like these, police and the AAI often find themselves in a confusing situation as to who should be held responsible for violations. Beside, involvement of multi-agencies also lead to passing the buck. PSM Aviation’s representative Sabapathy said, “Our drivers are highly qualified and experienced in driving inside the tarmac. The blame lies with Shiva who came in the way of the bus.” Interestingly, SRS Travels had another version: “The worker died because his head hit the tarmac.” Though the police have arrested and remanded the driver Leo King, the airline for which he was ferrying passengers, Paramount, does not want itself to be dragged into the issue.
“We are in no way connected to the accident. The driver and the vehicle belong to an agency who are licensed to operate vehicles inside the airport. The airline should not be held responsible for no fault of its,” a Paramount official said.
Airport director Dinesh Kumar said “strict norms” were followed by AAI to ensure that employees engaged by the agencies do not violate rules.
01/08/08 V Ayyappan/Times of India

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Airports Aug 2008, Paramount Airways Aug 2008, Safety Aug 2008