Staff crisis cloud on Kolkata airport

Kolkata: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata is staring at a possible collapse in flight services from January 1 unless officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) work overtime to complete an extremely challenging task.
While AAI has a relatively simpler job of forwarding around 2,500 applications for security passes for ground handling staff outsourced by various airlines, BCAS will have to scrutinise each application and issue the security pass for access to various sections of the airport. Other than bona fide passengers, security pass is mandatory for anyone entering the airport.
Applications for security passes are usually submitted by various carriers within the first fortnight of each month for the processing by AAI and BCAS that takes around two weeks. But AAI has refused applications for fresh monthly passes in December as it planned to terminate the services of multiple ground handling agencies according to the new policy. Instead, Bhadra International the agency selected for ground handling ops at Kolkata, Chennai and other airports in south India was to take over from January 1.
However, the Delhi high court order on Thursday that stayed the handover of operations to a single agency from January 1 has forced AAI and BCAS into a corner. Till Friday, airport officials had declined to accept the forms as it had not received the court order.
26/12/10 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Dec 2010