Some of India’s top airlines have been ordered to start sending out passengers’ bags within 10 minutes of the plane’s engine shutting down.
The civil aviation ministry has said that passengers’ luggage should be delivered to them within 10 to 30 minutes after landing.
The airlines have until 26 February to comply with the order. Late baggage delivery has been a persistent problem across airports.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) directed seven airlines, including carriers like Air India, Vistara and IndiGo, to implement necessary measures to ensure timely delivery of baggage.
The directive comes after the aviation ministry monitored the time it took for luggage to be delivered to passengers at six major airports in India. The operations of seven airlines were scrutinized across 3,600 flights.
A statement by the ministry said that the review exercise began in January and was still ongoing.
It also said that though the performance of all airlines with regards to baggage delivery had improved, it didn’t meet the mandated guidelines.
It added that according to the mandate, the first baggage should arrive at the baggage belt “within 10 minutes of shutting off the aircraft engine and the last bag within 30 minutes of the same”.
Indian passengers have frequently voiced their frustration with the baggage delivery process at airports.
Sometimes, baggage has been delayed for close to an hour, and the wait time gets longer if there are technical issues with the baggage belt.
Over the past few months, the aviation ministry has been taking several steps to make air travel more seamless.
Last week, it ordered the international airport in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, to reduce flights to avoid congestion of air traffic and improve landing time.
