Chennai, Feb 22:
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the security wing of the Civil Aviation Ministry, has asked
the airlines to ensure that the passengers’ checked-in luggage reach them within 30 minutes after their
arrival. It has asked the airlines to implement measures to ensure timely baggage delivery by February
- This, ministry officials said, was done as part of the efforts taken to avoid congestion at airports and
to have better security.
In a letter dated February 16, the BCAS, after studying the time taken by each airline to deliver their
baggage to conveyor belts, wrote to them pointing out errors in obeying rules.
“Airlines need to ensure that delivery of last baggage is made within 30 minutes as per the Service
Quality Requirements of Operation, Management and Delivery Agreement (OMDA). BCAS has directed
the airlines to implement the required measures within 10 days by 26th February 2024,” a statement
issued by the civil aviation ministry said.
An official close to the development said that BCAS has been studying the time taken by airlines to clear
the passengers from the arrival halls of six major airports since January this year. These airports include
Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai.
As per the mandates, the first baggage should arrive at the baggage belt within 10 minutes of shutting off
the aircraft engine and the last bag should be at the belt within 30 minutes of the same.
