Foreign airlines’ staff challenge new ground handling policy

Mumbai: Employee Unions of Gulf Air, British Airways and Saudi Arabian Airlines have challenged a notification issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) disallowing foreign airlines’ employees from handling ground services at any of its airports from January 1, 2009. This would lead to job losses for over 50,000 workers, the unions fear.
According to the petitioner unions, the DGCA’s circular dated September 28, 2007, and the AAI notification dated October 18, 2007 — to be effective January 1, 2009 — lays down that airlines cannot employ their own staff for ground handling, or cannot engage outside agency at the six major airports (Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Banglore). Simultaneously, it also makes it clear that only domestic airlines can handle the ground services at the other airports. Consequently, the foreign airlines ground handling staff working at Indian airports will be rendered jobless from January 2009, petitioners have said.
The unions have challenged the circular before the Bombay High Court as it prohibits self-handling system, wherein airlines employ their own staff for ground handling tasks. Ground-handling work involves passenger check-in, cleaning, aircraft handling, fuelling, baggage handling, boarding and passengers disembarkment.
The DGCA, however, has said in its affidavit before the HC that the decision was taken by the government after deliberations “to provide ground-handling services of international standards in a competitive environment, balanced by the paramount considerations of aviation safety and security.”
26/12/08 Economic Times

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Categories: Airports Dec 2008, Foreign Dec 2008