Passenger amenities: HC directive to AAI

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MAY 13. The Madras High Court has directed the counsel for the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to submit a report by June 5 on the conditions prevailing at the Anna International Airport, Chennai with particular reference to the difficulties experienced by air passengers.

Mr. Justice P. Shanmugam, who posted the matter for June 5, gave the direction while passing interim orders on a petition filed by a cardiac surgeon, Dr. K. M. Cherian, who contended that the AAI was doing very little ``to alleviate the misery experienced by passengers''.

The AAI, the petition submitted, had a statutory duty to provide efficient service to all passengers. Both on the onward journey and return journey, the conditions encountered by passengers were chaotic and unsettling to those arriving after a long international journey.

``I would allege both incompetence and inefficiency on the part of the AAI in dealing with easy movement of passengers,'' the petitioner said. Frequently, elderly persons, children, and ailing persons used the airport for international travel. It took a minimum of two hours for a passenger to clear out of the airport on arrival.

Dr. Cherian narrated an incident that occurred three months ago, when Dr. Donald Ross, a well known cardiac surgeon travelled from London to Chennai to participate in an international conference at the Madras Medical Mission. It took him two hours to clear out of the airport and it was in early hours of the morning he reached the hotel. They would naturally expect efficient service at the airport for quick clearance of baggage, so that they can immediately commence their academic pursuits, he said.

In Singapore, passenger baggage were cleared in 20 minutes and in half an hour in the heavy traffic airports like London and Frankfurt.

Highlighting passengers' problems in identifying their baggage at the conveyor belts, the petitioner said ``it could be due to the extraordinary level of callousness that I have not even seen a single employee of the AAI on duty to alleviate the misery experienced by passengers, to any extent possible.''

It was the AAI alone which should be held responsible for coordinating with all agencies to ensure speedy clearance of passengers after landing. The airconditioning in the international airport was in poor shape, though the authorities collected airport tax, besides landing charges and parking fees.

The petition sought a direction to the AAI to comply strictly with the provisions of the International Airports Authority Act, 1994 and to take effective steps to implement them, specifically those relating to passengers.

It sought an interim direction to the AAI to look into the allegations and report to the court on the steps to be taken to improve the services offered at Chennai international airport. An eminent person or commission could be appointed to report to the court about the prevailing state of affairs there.

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Section  : Regional
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