Minister of Civil Aviation Ajit Singh on Thursday met the representatives of various Indian airlines to address their apprehensions about the new Government policy on ground handling.
The new policy will be implemented from December 31.
The meeting was attended by representatives of Air India, Jet Airways, SpiceJet, Indigo, GoAir, airport operators and senior Government officials.
The airline representatives fear that after implementation of the proposed policy the cost of ground handling would increase and adjustment of their employees engaged in those operations would pose problems.
They said airlines should be allowed self-handling at six metro airports on the lines of non-metro airports.
Singh said that the new policy has been framed after approval of Cabinet Committee on security (CCS) with the prime objective to minimise safety and security risks. Allaying the fears of the airlines regarding monopoly of few ground handlers, the Minister clarified that there can be any number of ground handlers so long as they fulfill the conditions stipulated with the exception of airlines themselves. The Minister said that the airlines can even create their own subsidiaries for ground handling and these subsidiaries can participate in the process to become the designated ground handler. However, he clarified that outsourcing of employees is not permitted due to security reasons. He also informed that the Ministry and Airports Authority of India (AAI) are looking into rationalisation of royalty to be paid by ground handlers to airport operators including AAI so that the cost of ground handling remains reasonable.
Indian carriers also brought to the notice of the Minister the monopolistic attitude of Cochin Airport where the airport does not allow airlines to do their own ground handling despite being a non-metro airport. According to the existing ground handling policy, airlines are allowed to do self-ground handling in non-metro airports.