The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : New airport glamour wanes

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Saturday, Mar 29, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

New airport glamour wanes

Special Correspondent

Improperly trained ground handling crew cited as one of the reasons
Stipulation over ground handling equipment causing undue delays

HYDERABAD: Less than a week after the first greenfield airport in the country became operational at Shamshabad, the sheen and glamour surrounding its massive glass structure is gradually waning. Passengers as well as different airlines staff are grappling to come to terms with ground realities at the Rajiv Gandhi International airport.

Initially, these irritants were sought to be justified as teething problems, but as days roll by, airlines and passengers are seething red over the short comings. Airline sources concede that there is delay in everything from ground handling to baggage clearance.

Things have come to such a pass that passengers aboard an Air India flight (IC-839) which landed here from Delhi the other day could disembark only 40 minutes after the aircraft halted at the tarmac. The reason cited was the improperly trained ground handling crew.

Stipulation

“The airport functioning has not yet stabilised. The ground handling procedures, right from connecting the aircraft to ground power unit, enabling the crew to switch off the engines, to clearing the baggage, there are delays”, a senior functionary of an airline observed.

The problem has worsened after the GMR imposed a stipulation that no piece of equipment, which is more than two years old should be used for ground handling.

This stipulation, sources say, came after the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) removed the rule that all airlines should compulsorily use the services of two companies (AI,IA & SATs and Menzies & Bobba Aviation) that were into ground handling jobs.

Distance

This issue which was seriously objected to by the private airlines led to postponement of operationalisation of the new airport for a week. Now with the MoCA allowing the airlines to have their own ground handling, things have taken a different turn.

Following this, the rule against old equipment being enforced, several airlines are finding it difficult to get the new equipment, which is mostly imported.

Such equipment includes tractors, push pack trolleys, containers, container trolleys and baggage trolleys.

Even though some of the private airlines have new equipments to fulfil the stipulation, such equipment is kept some two km. away from the tarmac. And every time a flight lands, the equipment of that particular airline has to be rushed to the tarmac and this is leading to delays, explained another official.

In addition to this, the improperly trained staff was another cause for the delays. “There is avoidable delay in connecting the aircraft to ground power network. There is delay in moving the step ladder. So passengers are forced to wait”, reasoned out the official.

If these are the issues concerning the ground handling, several passengers have been complaining about the facilities. “No glasses are provided at the water fountains. Eatables are prohibitively expensive in the security hold area. Baggage is coming late.

There is no seating facility at the check in where there are delays.

The aero express does not stop on the way forcing passengers to travel up to its end point”, a frequent flyer listed out the inconveniences.

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