New deadline as baggage check-in trials fail

While operational readiness and airport transfer (ORAT) has failed during the trials,other issues like trials with airlines,baggage reconciliation at the airport,absence of standard operating procedures (SOPs) pertaining to security,and absence of a commercial agreement between airlines,line’s concessionaire Reliance Infrastructure and airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) have forced the Civil Aviation ministry to postpone the deadline again.

The new deadline now stands at May 31; earlier it was May 1. Trials for the facility began earlier this month.

The Wednesday meeting was attended by representatives from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation,Reliance Infrastructure,Airline Operators’ Committee,Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and DIAL.

Officials,meanwhile,said the new deadline too might be delayed further till all issues are resolved.

Sources said commercial issues apart,the baggage reconciliation system during the trials failed completely,with 10 per cent of the bags going missing before reaching the airport.

“The ORAT trials started last week and no trials have been undertaken with the airlines so far. The computerised baggage reconciliation system has also failed,with 10 of the 100 checked-in bags going missing before reaching the airport,” a source said.

A senior Civil Aviation ministry official said while the aim to launch the facility by May 1 remained,“it is very unlikely in the presence of three main issues that surfaced after today’s meeting”.

“ORAT trials have not been successful; the airlines have had no operational readiness trials at all. The third main issue is the absence of security SOPs to be followed on the line,” the official said.

According to sources,Reliance Infra does not have clearance from the BCAS that will allow the checked-in baggage to be taken directly to the aircraft. The status of the luggage will be treated as “unchecked” once it reaches the airport — explosive detection tests will have to be performed again. After the baggage reaches the airport,it would be checked by the DIAL before being taken inside the terminal on conveyor belts through a tunnel. The bar codes on the passengers’ boarding pass and on the baggage would be matched to ensure safety.

“Revenue-sharing between Reliance Infra and DIAL has also not been resolved so far,” said an official.