The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has issued safety standards for ground handling service providers . Photo: dgca.gov.in

Aviation watchdog DGCA has come out with safety standards for ground handling service providers at airports, including the compulsory safety clearance requirement, as part of efforts to ensure safe ground operations amid rising air traffic.

The norms also come against the backdrop of ground incidents at some airports that have resulted in damage to aircraft.

Regulation for Ground Handling Service Providers

The new Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), prepared after detailed consultations, will strengthen the oversight mechanism, the DGCA said in a release on July 10.

It also specifies the training and competency requirements of ground personnel who are part of ground operations at the airports.

Ground Handling Service Providers (GHSPs) are required to obtain safety clearance within six months from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The six-month time period is from July 8, when the CAR was issued by the regulator.

“The robust safety mechanism to be implemented prospectively by GHSPs would help in prevention and mitigation of ground incidents at the airport thereby enhancing the quality of services rendered in safety-sensitive functions,” the release said.

Under the new norms, GHSPs are required to appoint accountable managers, station managers and safety managers. Among other requirements, ground personnel have to undergo recurrent training.

Increase in aircraft movements in India

Taking into account the phenomenal growth of aircraft movements, a corresponding increase in complexity of ground operations and the proliferation of third-party ground handling services, the DGCA said it has become imperative to establish safety standards for GHSPs involved in ground operations of aircraft at Indian airports, an area which was hitherto uncovered under any existing regulations.

Larger aircraft, an increase in ground support equipment and faster turnarounds all contribute to the challenge of improving operational safety.

With the growth of air traffic and the proliferation of third-party ground handling services, ground operations on airport aprons have become increasingly complex and potentially hazardous, the DGCA said.

Reasons for regulation

Apron areas are often the most congested and busiest areas of an airport with aircraft turnarounds being carried out under limited space and time constraints.

“Unlike other areas of the aviation industry, the ground handling sector is currently not subjected to the level of regulation in areas such as flight operations, air traffic management and aerodrome operations.

Therefore, it has become necessary to develop the requirements to achieve operational safety at airports for aircraft operations,” the regulator said.

India is one of the world’s fastest-growing civil aviation markets and airlines are expanding their fleets.

Representative image.
| Photo Credit: G.P. Sampath Kumar

Aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to ensure that children up to the age of 12 years are allocated seats with at least one of their parents or guardians in a flight.

The directive comes against the backdrop of instances of children below the age of 12 years were not seated along with their parents or guardians during flights.

“Airlines shall ensure that children up to the age of 12 years are allocated seats with at least one of their parents/guardians, who are travelling on the same PNR and a record of the same shall be maintained,” the DGCA said in a statement on April 23.

In this regard, the regulator has revised the Air Transport Circular titled, ‘unbundle of services and fees by scheduled airlines’.

As per the norms, some services like zero baggage, preferential seating, meals/ snack/ drink charges and charges for carriage of musical instruments are permitted.

The DGCA said that such unbundled services are provided on an “opt-in” basis by airlines and are not mandatory in nature.

“There is also a provision for auto seat assignment to the passengers who have not selected any seat for web check-in before scheduled departure,” the statement said.

India is one of the world’s fastest growing civil aviation markets and domestic air traffic is on the rise.