NEW DELHI: India’s aviation sector is among the fastest-growing markets globally but there are issues that may obstruct its growth. There were 96 incidents of illegal entry reported from airports across the country in 2017, according to government data.
The ministry of civil aviation informed Parliament on Tuesday that 130 people, including foreigners, were apprehended for involvement in such cases.
Minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha, in a written response to the Rajya Sabha, admitted unlawful entries could “potentially” pose a threat to security at airports. But he added that several measures had been taken.
Other measures include maintaining a record of people and materials entering the airport through their entry passes and deployment of armed security personnel at critical vantage points, Sinha said.
In response to a separate question, the minister said the government had received 13,522 complaints from passengers last year.
He did not elaborate on the nature of the complaints but ministry sources said they ranged from misbehaviour of airline staff, poor quality of airline food, loss of baggage, flight delays, diversions and cancellations, airfare refund-related problems, customer service, and lack of facilities for specially-abled travellers.
Sinha said the government had taken a lot of initiatives to safeguard the interests of fliers, including facilitation in case of diversion of aircraft, flight delays and cancellations.
He added, “Also, the stakeholders of the aviation sector and other related government organisations have nominated nodal officers for redress of passenger complaints.”
Civil Aviation Data
96 incidents of illegal entry at airports across the country in 2017
130 people apprehended for involvement in such cases
13,522 complaints from fliers received through different web portals