Mumbai:

The recent Air India Airport Services Limited recruitment drive for airport loaders at Mumbai Airport has thrown light on a stark reality: a large number of educated job aspirants are now competing for basic handyman positions.

Among the sea of applicants, many hold advanced degrees and have travelled long distances in search of employment. Prathameshwar, a second-year BBA student from Buldhana district, journeyed over 400 kilometres for a chance at the job. “I have come to apply for the post of handyman. They are offering a salary of Rs 22,500,” he said. When asked if he would abandon his studies if selected, he responded, “What do we do? There is so much unemployment. I urge the government to create more job opportunities.”

Another candidate, armed with a BA degree, admitted that he was not entirely sure what the job of a handyman entailed but stressed his desperate need for employment. Adding to this trend is a candidate from Rajasthan’s Alwar, holding an MCom degree, who applied for the position despite the job’s basic educational requirement. “I am preparing for government job exams as well, someone told me that the salary here is good. So I have come,” he explained.

The salary for airport loaders and handymen ranges between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per month. The job’s educational criteria are minimal, but candidates must be physically strong enough to handle the demanding tasks of loading and unloading luggage, operating baggage belts, and managing ramp tractors.

Thousands of job seekers converged on Mumbai’s Kalina on Tuesday for a walk-in interview hosted by Air India Airport Services Ltd. 

The sheer volume of applicants at the Mumbai airport – over 25,000 for just 2,216 vacancies – led to chaotic scenes reminiscent of a stampede. Air India staff struggled to control the massive crowd, with visuals showing applicants jostling to reach form counters. Reports indicated that many candidates waited for hours without food and water, causing several to feel unwell. 

With the crowd growing uncontrollably, applicants were instructed to submit their resumes and disperse.

An Indigo flight landing on the runway at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport while an Air India flight is still in the process of taking off.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken swift action by de-rostering an Air Traffic Control officer (ATCO) officer from Mumbai following a potentially disastrous incident involving two aircraft on the same runway.

The incident occurred on June 8 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM). In the early hours of Saturday, IndiGo flight 5053, arriving from Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport (IDR), landed on runway 27 while Air India flight 657 was still in the process of taking off for Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TRV).

Both flights involved Airbus A320neo aircraft. The close timing of the landing and takeoff created a hazardous situation that could have resulted in a significant accident.

The DGCA’s immediate response to de-roster the ATC officer involved reflects the seriousness of the incident and the emphasis on maintaining strict safety standards in aviation operations.

An investigation is underway to understand the circumstances that led to this breach in protocol and to implement measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

“Mumbai and Delhi airports are high-intensity airports, operating around 46 flights per hour. ATCOs are responsible for maintaining the safe and secure arrival and departure of planes and passengers. In the viral video, the visibility appears to be quite good. If there is reasonable assurance through visual observation, the traffic separation minima can be reduced. In this incident, it appeared that the departing aircraft had already reached B2 speed and was nose-up while the arriving aircraft was touching down on Runway 27. The matter is under investigation,” said Alok Yadav, General Secretary of the ATC Guild India.

After reviewing the footage recorded and shared widely on social media, it appeared that the Air India flight was accelerating down the runway as the IndiGo flight descended towards the ground.

As the A320neo got closer, the Air India flight managed to get airborne, likely unaware of the other aircraft approaching from behind. It was able to take off without incident.

However IndiGo stated after the incident, “On Jun 8, IndiGo flight 6E 6053 from Indore was given landing clearance by ATC at Mumbai Airport. The Pilot in Command continued the approach and landing and followed ATC instructions.

At IndiGo, passenger safety is paramount to us, and we have reported the incident as per procedure.”

Mumbai:

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) foiled smuggling bids at Mumbai International Airport and seized 7 kg cocaine worth Rs 70 crore by arresting four carriers, including two foreign nationals, in separate incidents, an official said on Tuesday.

The Mumbai zonal unit of DRI also recovered a gun with five bullets from one of the accused who couldn’t produce legal documents, he said. The weapon has been handed over to the local police.

All four incidents were reported in the last two days.

A DRI team apprehended two persons who were trying to smuggle in cocaine by concealing it in false cavities of their trolley bags, he said. Separately, it was found that four carriers had swallowed (cocaine) drug capsules. They were admitted to state-run JJ Hospital and capsules were extracted, he said.

In a follow-up action, DRI officials seized narcotic drugs (cocaine) from the residence of a man in Virar in neighbouring Palghar district, the official said, adding that it was smuggled from Nairobi through the Delhi airport.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

A key accused in the Mahadev betting app case, Mrugank Mishra, was detained at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai by security personnel on his arrival from Dubai, an official said on Monday.

Mishra is accused of helping Mahadev betting app promoters open hundreds of dubious bank accounts to divert money generated by the scam. His custody was later taken by a police team from Rajasthan, where he faces a cheating and forgery case related to the Mahadev app matter, the official said.

The 25-year-old was apprehended by security personnel at the airport after his arrival from Dubai on Saturday and handed over to the Sahar police in Mumbai. A team of the Pratapgarh police in Rajasthan came to Mumbai on Sunday and took his custody and placed him under arrest, he said.

Mishra is wanted in connection with a cheating and forgery case registered at the Pratapgarh police station related to the Mahadev betting app case and a look out circular (LOC) was issued against him, the official said.

An LoC is used by authorities to restrict the movement of a person accused of a crime.

Mishra allegedly helped Mahadev app promoters open hundreds of dubious bank accounts to divert money generated from betting. He opened these bank accounts in the name of common people after promising them that they will get money from various government schemes, he said.

Originally from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, Mishra was hiding in the Gulf city for the last few months, said the official.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has previously said the Mahadev Online Book App was used to enrol new users, create IDs and launder money through a layered web of benami bank accounts.

Large-scale hawala operations were done to siphon off the proceeds of betting to off-shore accounts, the ED had said, adding the company owning the app was running operations from Dubai.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Mumbai Airport said on Monday it has posted 32 per cent year-on-year growth in passenger volume to 4.2 million (42 lakh) in August.

The facility had recorded 32 lakh passengers in August 2022.

When compared to the pre-pandemic level (August 2019), the growth in passenger traffic in the previous month was 108 per cent, the airport said.   In August 2023, CSMIA recorded passenger traffic of over 4.32 million, with a growth of 32 per cent compared to 3.2 million passengers in August 2022, the private airport operator said, adding international passengers at the facility alone witnessed a strong 33 per cent growth with more than 1.1 million passengers against 0.84 million in the same period last year.

The airport recorded a total of 20,711 domestic air traffic movements and 6,960 international ATMs during the month under review, it said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

A private plane crashed while trying to land amid heavy rain at Mumbai airport on Thursday.

There were eight people – six passengers and two crew – on board. Three people were hospitalised, emergency services said. The extent of their injuries is unknown. No casualties have been reported.

The runway has now been cleared of debris and normal operations have resumed – post safety checks and clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation – an airport statement said.

The incident took place near Runway 27, which was slippery because of the rain.

Visibility was reportedly around 700 metres at the time.

The runway was closed briefly, during which Vistara Airlines said five of its flights were diverted and others “are likely to be impacted’. The diverted flights are UK622 (from Varanasi) and UK124 (from Bangkok) and UK933 (from Delhi), UK518 (from Kochi), and UK865 (from Dehradun). The first two have been diverted to Hyderabad and the three latter flights have been sent to Goa’s Mopa Airport.

SpiceJet has advised its passengers “flights might get affected”.

Disturbing CCTV footage of the crash appears to show the plane striking the ground with considerable force and the aircraft body seems to skid along the ground for a bit.

Other visuals from the Mumbai airport showed murky grey skies and the wreckage of the plane on the far side of the runway. Initial visuals showed the wreckage still on fire.

The blaze was put out by emergency services.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the plane was a Learjet 45 – a nine-seater super-light business jet produced by a division of Canada-based Bombardier Aviation – registered to VSR Ventures, which is believed to be a Bengaluru-based real estate development firm.

The plane was inbound from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.