E-Paper
After complaints, AAI airports to get 40,000 new baggage trolleys
Passenger traffic has been growing 19% year on year over the past four years and is expected to hit 1 billion over the next 15-20 years. Airport infrastructure has not matched the pace of growth and most equipment at government-run airport is old.
Passenger at airports run by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will soon get modern trolleys to carry their luggage.
AAI, which runs over 90 airports excluding Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kochi, has been receiving complaints about the poor quality of luggage trolleys and how difficult it is for passengers to use them.
For the first time, AAI is opting for a global tender to procure the trolleys. It is seeking to purchase 40,000 trolleys at a cost of ₹175 crore.
“The system of procuring baggage trolleys was never centralized and airport directors used to do it as per the requirement. After reviewing complaints, we found that the quality of baggage trolleys used at AAI airports is very poor in comparison with those used by the private airports. Then we decided to go for the global tenders so that international companies can participate in the bid,” said an AAI official on condition of anonymity.
The tender is likely to be floated by the first week of January. Airports Authority of India is eyeing suppliers from Germany and China to participate in the bidding.
“The old trolleys used to cost ₹15,000 each but don’t have the facility of brake and the wheels are also of poor quality. The new trolleys will have a brake system and will come with a warranty of seven years against the current warranty of one year,” the official cited above added.
Some of the major airports where the trolleys will be replaced first are Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow, Guwahati Srinagar and Jaipur.
The Indian aviation sector is growing rapidly and expected to be the third largest in the world around 2024, surpassing the United Kingdom, the International Air Transport Association said in October.
Passenger traffic has been growing 19% year on year over the past four years and is expected to hit 1 billion over the next 15-20 years. Airport infrastructure has not matched the pace of growth and most equipment at government-run airport is old.
The cabinet recently cleared a proposal for the development and management of six airports – Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Guwahati, Jaipur, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru –through the public-private partnership model, making it clear that government wants greater private involvement in the aviation sector.
