As many as 15 flights departing from the Mumbai airport were delayed by between 90 minutes and two hours, The Indian Express has learned.
Multiple flights delayed amid chaos Multiple flights delayed amid chaosMultiple flights delayed amid chaos Multiple flights delayed amid chaos“We were stuck inside the plane for over an hour after landing.
AIASL provides ground handling services to the Air India group — Air India and Air India Express — as well as several international carriers operating out of Mumbai airport and other airports across the country.
The strike affected flight operations of airline services including Air India, Air India Express, and Oman Air.
A statement issued by Air India stated, “Industrial action by employees of a third-party ground handling agency at Mumbai airport is impacting the operations of Air India Express and Air India.
Several Air India flights operating to and from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were disrupted on Monday after employees of government-owned ground handling agency AI Airport Services Limited (AIASL) staged a protest at the airport over wage hikes and other demands, triggering delays in departures, prolonged waits inside aircraft after landing, and baggage delivery issues for passengers.
As many as 15 flights departing from the Mumbai airport were delayed by between 90 minutes and two hours, The Indian Express has learned.
Apart from departures, several incoming flights were also grounded for up to an hour after landing. Among them was an Air India flight from Hyderabad to Mumbai that landed at 11.45 am on Monday, with passengers reporting that they were unable to disembark for at least an hour after arrival.
“We landed at 11.45 am and had to remain inside the aircraft till around 1 pm. Once we disembarked, we were told there had been a strike by the ground staff. Even after that, there was no clarity on baggage and could get it only around 2 pm,” said Sujit Dilip (50), a circus owner from Pune who was scheduled to attend a business meeting in Mumbai at 1 pm. “I ended up missing the meeting,” he said.
Multiple flights delayed amid chaos Multiple flights delayed amid chaos
Multiple flights delayed amid chaos Multiple flights delayed amid chaos
“We were stuck inside the plane for over an hour after landing. I felt suffocated and anxious not knowing what awaited us after deboarding,” claimed Rita Vijay (50), who was travelling from Rome to Mumbai via Delhi on an Air India flight. She alleged that airline staff refused to provide clarity regarding the delay in disembarkation, adding to the confusion among passengers.
Meanwhile, several passengers also complained of delays in receiving their baggage.
Despite landing in Mumbai from Kochi around 1 pm, Anand Kishore Purva said he was struggling to retrieve his luggage till nearly 4.15 pm. “We were told that baggage delivery was delayed due to the porter strike. Later, I was given a phone number to contact for baggage that turned out to be invalid,” he said.
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Another Air India flight, AI 431 from Mumbai to Dehradun, scheduled to depart at 12.10 pm, was delayed by at least two hours, with passengers complaining that no information was provided by the airline about the revised departure time.
“We have been waiting at the boarding gate since 11 am. Our boarding time was 11.10 am and we are yet to board the flight,” said Gajendra Verma (80), a retired government employee who was to board the Mumbai-Dehradun flight, which took off only around 4.15 pm.
The strike was organised by the BJP-backed Akhil Bhartiya Kamgaar Karmchaari Sangh and saw the participation of AIASL workers, including ground staff, counter staff, and handymen.
The workers were protesting against poor working conditions, unresolved operational issues, and overall mismanagement. Claiming that they haven’t received salary increments since 2017, workers appealed for wage revision and implementation of promotional policies. Employees also sought that Fixed-Term-Contract (FTC) workers employed for more than five years should receive permanent employment status, among other demands.
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“For the past 8 months, we have raised these issues before the AIASL management, but they have provided us no concrete response. Ultimately, we resorted to this peaceful protest to get the workers demands across,” said Suhas Mate, general secretary of the Akhil Bhartiya Kamgaar Karmchaari Sangh. The protest began at 11 am near the Ground Services Department (GSD) within the AIASL building.
AIASL provides ground handling services to the Air India group — Air India and Air India Express — as well as several international carriers operating out of Mumbai airport and other airports across the country. The company has around 20,000 employees and handles nearly 650 flights daily. The strike affected flight operations of airline services including Air India, Air India Express, and Oman Air.
A statement issued by Air India stated, “Industrial action by employees of a third-party ground handling agency at Mumbai airport is impacting the operations of Air India Express and Air India. Our airport teams are working closely with all stakeholders to minimise inconvenience to guests and restore normal operations at the earliest. We appreciate the understanding and patience of our guests during this time.”
AIASL later said employees had resumed work after receiving assurances from the management that their demands would be looked into. “There was a silent morcha by a certain section of employees, and we requested them to give us in writing their demands for discussion. They have been kind enough to go back and join work,” said Rambabu, CEO of AIASL.
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“They have given us a letter. We have told them that we will go through the same in terms of the policies,” he added.
(with PTI inputs)
