Aerospace Diary

INDIAN MARKET LIBERALISATION GROUND HANDLING INTERNATIONAL   OCTOBER 2011 Neelam Mathews reports from New Delhi, where India’s ground handling policy (literally) hangs in the air. Facing a long, drawn-out opposition from airlines, India’s ground handling policy, announced back in 2007, has yet to get airborne. And it will not be able to do so in a hurry, since a hearing by the highest court in the country, the Supreme Court, scheduled to take place on July 25 this year, has been put off for a further 12 months. Private domestic airlines appealed to the Supreme Court after losing their case in the High Court on the dispute over ground handling logistics at six of India’s metropolitan airports. US$500m industry For a business estimated to be worth around US$500m per year, and growing, it is not surprising that everyone wants a slice of the pie. A contentious policy bars private carriers from self-handling, which includes cargo scanning, baggage handling, taxi-ing, refuelling an...

Neelam Mathews July 12, 2011 SC soon to decide on ground handling Neelam Mathews July 12, 2011 India ’s confusion on its ground handling policy is far from being sorted out. One move forward is the hearing by the Supreme Court on July 29. Domestic private airlines appealed to the Supreme Court after losing their case in High Court regarding a dispute on ground handling logistics at six of India’s metro airports. The airlines want to do their own handling as they say it is cheaper, while the government wants professional handlers citing security aspects as its main concern. The dispute is on since 2007.