Ensure passenger baggage delivery in 30 minutes after landing: BCAS to airlines

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the security wing of the Civil Aviation Ministry, has asked the airlines to ensure that the passengers’ checked-in luggage reach them within 30 minutes after their arrival. It has asked the airlines to implement measures to ensure timely baggage delivery by February 26. This, ministry officials said, was done as part of the efforts taken to avoid congestion at airports and to have better security.
In a letter dated February 16, the BCAS, after studying the time taken by each airline to deliver their baggage to conveyor belts, wrote to them pointing out errors in obeying rules.
“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,” a statement issued by the civil aviation ministry said.
An official close to the development said that BCAS has been studying the time taken by airlines to clear the passengers from the arrival halls of six major airports since January this year. These airports include Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai.
As per the mandates, the first baggage should arrive at the baggage belt within 10 minutes of shutting off the aircraft engine and the last bag should be at the belt within 30 minutes of the same.
“On 16th February 2024, BCAS wrote letters to seven airlines including Air India, Indigo, Akasa, SpiceJet, Vistara, Air India Express Connect and Air India Express to implement the required measures to ensure that delivery of the last baggage is made within 30 minutes as per the Service Quality Requirements of Operation, Management and Delivery Agreement (OMDA). BCAS has asked airlines to implement all measures within 10 days, which is by 26th February 2024,” the statement said.
“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,” the official on condition of anonymity said.
Airport congestion has been a matter of concern at major airports in India. The government has been taking steps to ensure minimum congestion at airports especially after December 2022 when airports like Delhi and Mumbai saw a sudden spike in passenger footfall, which also impacted passengers in a way that they had to miss their flights.
Since then, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has been in continuous dialogues with airports, airlines and other stakeholders to reduce congestion. He has been working on strategic improvements, including an increase in departure gates, introduction of new technologies for faster security clearance, Digi Yatra, increase in manpower at airports. The minister also took down a few lounges and commercial areas at the airports to create space for passenger movements.
“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,” he said in December last year.
“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,” a government official said.
“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, “ the official said.
“However, BCAS has directed the airlines to ensure that the mandated levels are achieved in all airports where they fly,” the official added.