Airlines Given 10 Days to Comply: Baggage Delivery Time Mandate Set at 30 Minutes Post-Arrival
New Delhi, 19th February 2024: The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has directed airlines to ensure that passengers receive their check-in baggage within 30 minutes of arrival. This stipulation, mandated by the service quality requirements of the Operation, Management, and Delivery Agreement (OMDA), dictates that the last bag offloaded from the arriving aircraft should be on the conveyor belt within half an hour.
According to a government statement, the security regulator has instructed seven airlines, namely Air India, IndiGo, Akasa, Vistara, AIX Connect, Air India Express, and SpiceJet, to “implement the required measures within 10 days by Feb 26, 2024.”
The regulations specify that the first baggage must reach the baggage belt within 10 minutes of the aircraft engine shutting off, and the last bag within 30 minutes of the same. The statement explained, “BCAS initiated a continuous monitoring exercise of the baggage arrival time at belts in six major airports in January 2024, under the leadership of Union aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.”
The monitoring is currently underway at six major airports, with the performance of all airlines being assessed weekly. While there has been improvement since the commencement of the review exercise, it does not meet the mandated standards. BCAS has directed airlines to ensure compliance with the specified levels at all airports they operate in, as mentioned in the statement.
