Air traffic unaffected by strike

NEW DELHI — Air traffic across India remained largely unaffected yesterday despite a nationwide protest by about 20,000 airport employees opposed to the closure of the existing airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad.


But some flights were hit due to the "non-cooperation movement" — the protesters are not calling it a strike — in the national capital. There were warnings of disruptions elsewhere too.

About 500 Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel trained in airfield safety, fire fighting and aircraft marshalling were deployed at 21 major civilian airports to ensure smooth take offs and landings, officials told IANS.

A few flights from the capital's Indira Gandhi International Airport were delayed but operations were not badly affected by the indefinite protest by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) employees that got underway at midnight on Tuesday after talks with the government broke down.

But officials here admitted that if the 1,700 employees stayed away for long, it would affect baggage handling, sanitation and other ground activities.

Ignoring the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) the government has invoked, the employees are not calling their protest a strike to escape legal action against them.

In Chennai, airport director Dinesh Kumar said both domestic and international terminals functioned normally.

In Kolkata, the airport was near normal and at least 35 flights had flown till forenoon. ATC officials said flight movements were largely normal.

The toilets at the airports too suffered after the cleaning staff stayed away from work.

Airport employees across India late yesterday decided to continue with their strike after the government, rejecting their demand, made clear that the existing Bangalore and Hyderabad airports will terminate commercial operations once the new airports start functioning.

The striking employees also rebuffed Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's assurance that their interests would be fully protected.

"We want the government to continue commercial activities from these airports. This was our demand and we will continue with our agitation till it is considered," M.K Ghoshal, the general secretary of the Airports Authority Employees Union, said.

Our correspondents add: In Mumbai, operations at the international and domestic terminals were largely unaffected yesterday, despite the fact that nearly 2,000 employees stayed away from work. About 15,000 airport employees across India went on a strike from yesterday.

The Airport Authority Employees Joint Forum (AAEJF), an apex body of unions backed by Left parties, organised the strike, protesting against the privatisation of airports in the country. Both Mumbai and Delhi, the busiest airports in India, have been handed over to private firms.

According to a spokesman of the Mumbai International Airport Ltd, operations here were unaffected, despite about 2,000 employees staying away from work. Air traffic control (ATC) officials did not participate in the strike.

But the government had made provisions by deploying Indian Air Force personnel, in case ATC employees also boycotted work.

Airlines had advised passengers to report early, but flights were not disrupted.

In Kerala, the airport operations were not affected in three airports in the state.

Trivandrum Airport Director N. Nagraj said that all incoming and outgoing flights were operated as per schedule till afternoon. He said that the airport had taken steps to manage the essential services with the existing staff.

The strike did not make any impact on the functioning of the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbaserry since it is not managed by AAI.

Reports from Cochin said that only five employees had joined the strike there. Senior officials said that the schedule of flights in Cochin might be affected if there is disruption of services at other airports.

International flights operated by various airlines like Kuwait Airways, Indian, Gulf Air, Air India Express and Oman Airways arrived on time without any obstruction, the airport officials said.

Flight services at Karipur also remained unaffected even though 116 employees joined the strike.

In Hyderabad, about 300 employees of the existing airport at Begumpet in the city joined the strike. The strike, however, had no impact on the air traffic. All international and domestic flights were operating as per the schedule. The airport authorities said there was no cancellation or delay due to the strike.

The passengers, however, faced some inconvenience due to the absence of aerobridge operators and baggage handlers.

In Bangalore, the strike failed to make any impact on flight operations at HAL airport in the city yesterday. Flights took off and landed as per schedule at the existing airport in Bangalore as the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) mans the Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations while the ground support services are handled by various airlines.