Govt to pick firms for ground handling at private airports

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 27

The Centre will decide which agencies are eligible to and can provide ground-handling services for civilian aircraft at the airports that are not owned or operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). 

Earlier all airports in the country were run by the AAI, but of late a number of major airports are being privately operated and as such engaged agencies for ground handling at their prerogative.

“These ground-handling service providers shall be subject to security clearance from the Centre. As such, it is for the Centre to decide the agencies which can provide ground-handling services at various aerodromes and the eligibility criteria for such service providers," an order issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on October 25 states.

The number of such agencies to be permitted at each airport is also to be determined by the government after considering factors such as demand for such services, available infrastructure and competitive environment without compromising safety and security, the order adds.

Though similar regulatory measures exist for aerodromes owned and managed by the AAI, the restructuring of certain airports and development of a few Greenfield airports in the private sector has made it imperative for the Centre to lay down the eligibility criteria for various agencies to undertake ground-handling services at non-AAI airports, according to the DGCA.

All airport operators are required to complete the process of selection of requisite number of ground-handling agencies by October 31, 2018, and the appointed agency will commence its operation expeditiously and in any case not later than June 30, 2019.