Airlines allowed to continue ground handling duties till July

The Supreme Court today allowed private airlines to continue carrying out ground handling duties till July when it will start final hearing of the plea challenging a government directive to hand over such duties to airport operators or a consortium led by Air India.

A Bench comprising Justices RV Raveendran and AK Patnaik directed the DGCA and other agencies to maintain the status quo on ground handling duties till July.

In an interim order passed on April 4, the Supreme Court has directed the DGCA and other agencies to renew the passes of the ground handling staff of the airlines to enable them carry out these duties.

The airlines, last week, had informed the apex court as per its earlier orders, their (private airlines') staffs have been issued passes and are conducting their own ground handling duties.

The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) along with carriers has challenged the government directive to hand over their ground handling duties to a consortium led by Air India or to the airport managing companies.

The apex court today asked the government whether it would allow the private airlines to continue some of the sections of ground handling duties if they do it through their own staffs and not by outsourced ones, which was one of the main reason of security concerns.

"Can you identify the sections in which the staff of the airlines can do their duty without disturbing it," the Bench asked.

"Is there any space for the airlines to do ground handling by forming their own company, because they are so much conscious about their quality," the court asked.

On it, Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium appearing for the government replied that he would take instructions and inform the court.

Appearing on the behalf of FIA, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said that the airlines would have no objection while doing the ground handling duties by their own staffs.

"If they have a problem, then there would be no outsourcing. Every person would bear the badge of their respective airlines," he said.

The apex court today again asked from the government the reasons which prompted it to take over the ground handling duties from the airlines.

"Merely for that you want to take it (ground handling) would not apply. Was their any immediate occassion... What prompted you," the Bench asked.

After not getting proper reply, the Bench said, "You can takeover even the airlines. The issue is arbitrariness... Whether you have taken the decision fairly by drawing a line of services which needs to be taken."