BCAS, The Bureau of Civil Aviation has instructed seven airlines in India to provide fast delivery of baggage at the airports as it is the main concern in terms of exceeding permissible waiting times. The instructions come up post months of monitoring baggage arrivals at major airports.
The seven airlines that are instructed include Akasa, Air India Express Connect, Air India, Indigo, Vistara, Spicejet, and Air India Express. These airlines have to ensure the last checked-in baggage within thirty minutes of arrival according to OMDA, i.e., Operation, Management, and Delivery Agreement Standards.
Despite many advancements in technology, the baggage claim at airports is a challenge for travelers that includes delays and lost luggage and which cause frustration and inconvenience to them. Long waiting lines, and slow baggage handling procedures are some common complaints that are due to overcrowded terminals. Not only this, unclear signage and insufficient staff also increase the confusion of the passengers, making the entire process more difficult.
After monitoring the delays in baggage delivery at the top airport, BCAS issued strict warnings to change their baggage handling procedures, or they have to face strict actions; the official letter regarding these instructions has already been sent to these seven airlines listed above.
BCAS said
“Airlines need to ensure that delivery of last baggage is made within 30 minutes as per the Service Quality Requirements of Operation, Management and Delivery Agreement (OMDA). BCAS has directed the airlines to implement the required measures within 10 days by 26th February 2024.”
BCAS: Bureau of Civil Aviation Security
The authority has provided these airlines a ten-day window period to implement this as soon as possible, and the targeted date is 26th February 2024. If not implemented, strict actions will be taken against those who will fail to do that. For the time being, BCAS has already started the monitoring from start of 2024 to ensure that passengers should not face any issues in dealing with late baggage delivery.
According to ministry officials, it is part of the efforts that have been taken to avoid congestion at airports and to have the best safety and security.
According to BCAS guidelines, the first baggage should arrive at the belt within ten minutes of shutting off the aircraft, and the last should be within 30 minutes.
According to an official,
“The airlines have been given final warning in the form of the letter written on Friday. If an airline still continues to delay the process of delivering the baggage, the ministry will be forced to take action against it,”.
Official of BCAS: Bureau of Civil Aviation Security
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The congestion at the airport has been a great matter of concern at major airports for many days . The government had taken the move to ensure minimal congestion, especially after December 2022 when Mumbai and Delhi airports noticed a sudden spike in passenger football that impacted passengers the most and they had to miss their flights.
Since that time, Jyotiraditya Scindia has continuously discussed with airlines, airports, and other officials to reduce the congestion. The authorities were working on this matter and on the improvement part that also includes an increase in departure gates, the introduction of new techniques for faster security clearance, Digi Yatra, and an increment in manpower at the major airports. Last year, in December he said,
“ Space allocations for commercial activities are planned on the principle of ‘to be on the way’ and ‘not in the way’ to ensure smooth and natural flow of passengers,”.
Jyotiraditya Scindia
According to the government official,
“ The move to ensure baggage delivery on time, will not only clear the passengers faster, making space for the others arriving into the hall, but will also help in security of the airport. Since the beginning of the review exercise, performance of all airlines is being monitored on a weekly basis, which has improved but are not as per the mandates,”.
Government Official
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