ASIA Flights

Strike by AAI staff may disrupt flights
12 Mar 2008, 0029 hrs IST,Neha Lalchandani,TNN

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NEW DELHI: Domestic and international flights are likely to be disrupted in the coming days. The Airport Authority of India union was to begin a countrywide strike from Tuesday midnight in protest against the proposed closure of the existing Bangalore and Hyderabad airports when new airports in the two cities open in a few days.

The privately run Delhi and Mumbai airports may not be badly affected. But if flights from the 88 AAI-run airports do not reach these cities on time, there’s little passengers can do except wait endlessly.

The union had first threatened to go on strike on February 26, but agreed to give some time to the government. But final talks between AAI union leaders — who insist on calling it a non-cooperation movement for fear of legal action — and aviation ministry officials failed late on Tuesday night.

Now passengers would do well to first check the status of their flights with the airlines before leaving for airports. Airlines also advise them to travel light.

Aviation minister Praful Patel said: “I don’t think air services will be affected. Everyone knows the existing airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad will close once new ones get ready. What is this fuss about?” Patel’s confidence perhaps stems from the fact that the strike by the AAI union two years ago — when Delhi and Mumbai airports were privatized — had started with a bang thanks to Left support but ended without even a whimper.

Nearly 15,000 AAI employees, mostly of junior level are to join the strike from Tuesday midnight that could affect maintenance, cleanliness, aerobridge operations, trolley availability and other basic services at airports. Delhi could see 1,700 AAI staffers joining the strike.

“The movement is on. Kaam nahin hoga ,” AAI union leader M K Ghoshal said. The biggest threat is that if AAI staffers looking after fire services inside airports join the strike, flight operations without this vital emergency service will have to come to a halt.

The India Air Force has also stationed 479 of its personnel at 21 civilian airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. These personnel are trained in airfield safety operations including fire fighting, aircraft marshalling and operating special vehicles on the tarmac.