Swanky buses for Mumbai airport rot at Lisbon port

After opposition from 48 Indian agencies, 10 high-capacity buses that would have upped airport efficiency wait to be shipped to India since January

After opposition from 48 Indian agencies, 10 high-capacity buses that would have upped airport efficiency wait to be shipped to India since January

After the union government's Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) decided to defer the implementation of its

EXTRA LOAD: The existing buses can carry only between 30 and 50 passengers, whereas the new buses have a capacity of 112 passengers. FILE PIC

new Ground Handling Policy for airports from January 1 to July 1, about 10 high-capacity buses meant for the Mumbai airport, are parked at the Lisbon port, Portugal, waiting to be shipped to India.

This means that till July, you will have to use the low-capacity buses that make multiple trips from the airport building to the aircraft.

The buses have been checked and cleared by officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. But the policy has been opposed by 48-odd agencies currently operating at Mumbai airport. These agencies employ close to 17,000 people who will lose their jobs under the new policy.

Askin Demir, country head for Turkish company CELEBI, which will be one of the three new ground handling agencies under the new policy, said, "We hope to bring the coaches from Portugal to the Mumbai airport once the government implements its new policy."

Unlike the existing buses that can carry between 30 to 50 passengers, the new buses manufactured by Mercedes have a capacity of 112 passengers and can complete the exercise in a single trip. "The new fleet would have considerably reduced turnaround time for airlines and also mean quicker boarding for passengers," said a Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) official.

President of the Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) Sudhakar Reddy said the high-capacity buses will reduce the number of vehicles within the airport. Reddy added, "International airport coaches (like the ones waiting to be shipped) have floor boards without steps allowing several passengers to get on the bus through the extra large doors and also move quickly once inside." Currently, Bangalore is the only airport that is using high-capacity buses.

Rs 20 lakh
The cost of the new high-capacity coaches

Rs 6 lakh
The cost of the existing coaches

Three agencies
From July 1, only three ground handling agencies will be allowed inside the Mumbai airport. They areu00a0 CELEBI, a Turkish company, along with NAS, a Kuwait-based company,MENZIES, a European firm, in joint venture with CAMBATA Aviation and a joint-venture company between NACIL and SATS (Singapore Airport Terminal Services Ltd).

What is ground handling?
Ground handling is all the work on the ground relating to passengers, cargo and aircraft. It involves passenger check-in, aircraft cleaning, aircraft handling, fuelling, baggage handling, cargo handling, boarding and disembarking passengers, attaching theaero-bridge or ladder, etc. It does not include engineering functions and catering.