So when the number of airlines in Indian airports — specifically, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai — grew rather fast, there was also a simultaneous increase in ground handling staff. Most big airlines have their own ground handling set-up and “self-handle” their flights. However, this also created a security nightmare as it became unmanageable to keep tabs on personnel with access to the terminal and more importantly, the air side which includes the tarmac, hangars, cargo area and the plane itself. In simple words, the security set-up felt there were just too many people with access to sensitive locations in an airport, posing a major risk. They put it down on paper and raised the red flag from where the first thoughts started on having a ground handling policy like in other parts of the world.

It was also felt that a policy would help maintain quality benchmarks, bringing uniformity to the kind of equipments being used at airports as well as training of personnel. Presently, each airline has its own equipment, differing in quality and performance which many feel does not give the airport a prepared look.

The home ministry, of course, wanted only one agency to handle all the ground handling that included terminal area, issuing boarding passes and even general facilitation. This rather impossible proposal had to be deliberated upon and what was drawn up basically said there will be three ground handling operators at the six busy airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bangalore. One would be a joint venture headed by the airport operator, then a J-V arranged by National Aviation Company of India Ltd and last would be a well reputed ground handling service provider chosen through open bidding by the airport operator. At all other airports, the government allowed domestic airlines self-handling of their planes, but foreign carriers were barred.

... contd.