Airports Authority to appoint transgenders, those suffering from Down Syndrome at Northeast airports

The AAI has connected Mizoram and Nagaland previous year and is currently working to connect all the NE states in the region.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) would appoint transgenders and Down Syndrome-affected people in airports across the Northeast region to minimise discrimination in the workplace through “Project Equality”, an official said on Thursday.

The headquarters of Airports Authority of India is seen in this file photo. (Pradeep Gaur/Mint Photo)

“Our Project Equality targets to bring the transgenders at airport jobs. In the Northeast region, we have one transgender employee at Imphal airport. We have targeted to bring more transgenders into the mainstream at airports,” AAI Northeast Regional Executive Director Sanjeev Jindal told the media at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport at Agartala during a programme of ‘Equality Awareness Program’ on Thursday.

Regarding employment of people suffering from Down Syndrome, Jindal said, “There is no such airport in the country having people with Down Syndrome working till now. But I want to say they are very good in repetitive jobs like retrieving of trolleys. We have a plan to appoint such people in airports.”

The AAI set a target to recruit at least one transgender executive at MBB airport. “We will give a scope to at least one transgender to work at MBB airport by February end this year,” said MBB airport director VK Seth.

The AAI, two months back, appointed its first transgender advocate Swati Bidhan Barua. Apart from her, Imphal airport has a transgender employee Milan, the first in the northeast region so far.

The AAI has connected Mizoram and Nagaland previous year and is currently working to connect all the NE states in the region. There are 12 airports in the Northeast region.

A new terminal is likely to be launched at Agartala airport with a full-body scanner, the first of its kind in the country.