Though the civil aviation ministry has deferred the new ground handling policy — which bars private carriers from deploying their staff and vehicles in the airside area at metro airports — to 2011, Mumbai International Airport Limited (Mial), which operates the city airport, has decided to enforce it for non-scheduled operators citing security and safety concerns.
The operators have cried foul over what they allege is an arbitrary and monopolistic decision, and are planning to approach the Monopolies Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC).
Their main grouse is that Mial is forcing them to sub-let ground handling to its approved handlers, who are charging five times more. Alternatively, the Mial wants them to shell out large sums to purchase entry passes for their vehicles and employees, they claim. There are 46 non-scheduled operators at Mumbai airport, who collectively employ over 5,000 people.
“On February 1, Mial issued a circular asking us to pay Rs25,000 per annum towards the airport entry pass of each employee,” said Vallabh Wagle, manager (operations), Essar Aviation. “Since the airport is privatised, they are introducing new policies on whim.”
While a small airline that operates 10 flights a month needs 10-15 ground handling staff, bigger ones like Essar Aviation have 60 employees. “For each flight, we need two to three vehicles — one for the crew, one for passengers and one more to carry the luggage and other administrative staff.Each round trip to the aircraft costs us Rs5,000. But now, Mial has asked us to pay Rs1 lakh per annum as entry permit for these vehicles,” said Uday Shetty, airport co-ordinator, Bharat Forge aviation.
“Rs25,000 per employee and Rs1 lakh per vehicle is a huge amount. We are not scheduled operators who have a large amount of regular business,” quipped Ashok Masurkar, manager (operations), AAA Aviation.
The alternative, of hiring an Mial-approved handler, is not viable either, the operators said. “The current cleaning charges per aircraft is Rs30,000 per month. However, Celebi-Naaz, the ground handler authorised by Mial, is charging Rs2.5 lakh,” said Shetty.
Mial said the move will streamline the entry of men and vehicles into the airport. “Many agencies in the non-scheduled area have been performing ground handling without proper authorisation and are using non-standard procedures, causing a potential risk to airside safety. From now on, only those agencies registered with Mial will perform ground handling activities,” said the spokesperson for MIAL. However, when asked why the new policy has been implemented for the non-scheduled operators and not scheduled airlines, he had no comment.
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