The directive, issued by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, emphasises the importance of adhering to mandated timeframes for baggage delivery
India’s Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has issued a directive to all seven Indian airlines, including Air India, Indigo, Akasa, SpiceJet, Vistara, AIX Connect, and Air India Express, regarding the timely delivery of baggage to passengers at airports. Effective from February 26, airlines are required to ensure that passengers receive their baggage within 30 minutes of landing. This directive follows BCAS’s monitoring of baggage arrival times at six major airports – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru – in January.
The directive, issued by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, emphasises the importance of adhering to mandated timeframes for baggage delivery. According to the civil aviation ministry, while there has been improvement in airlines’ performance since the review exercise began, it still falls short of the mandated standards. Specifically, airlines are required to have the first baggage arrive at the baggage belt within 10 minutes of engine shutdown and the last bag within 30 minutes of the same.
“Since the beginning of the review exercise, the performance of all airlines has been monitored on a weekly basis and has improved, but is not as per the mandates. The mandates require the first baggage to arrive at the baggage belt within 10 minutes of shutting off the aircraft engine and the last bag within 30 minutes of the same,” the civil aviation ministry said in a statement
The ministry further stated that although monitoring currently focuses on six major airports, BCAS has instructed airlines to ensure compliance with these standards across all airports they operate in. These requirements are outlined in the Operation, Management, and Delivery Agreement (OMDA) signed between the Airports Authority of India and major airports like Delhi and Mumbai during privatisation approximately 20 years ago.
The ministry’s statement indicates ongoing efforts to improve baggage handling efficiency and enhance the overall passenger experience within the Indian aviation sector.
