APAI seeks passenger rights protection on the lines of EU practices

In order to make civil aviation hassle-free and customer-friendly in India, the Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) has recommended to the government and the regulatory authorities to introduce European Union (EU) standards of civil aviation to protect the rights of fliers.

While the Ministry of Civil Aviation is in the process of submitting a draft policy on Civil Aviation, the apex air travellers' body, APAI, has suggested measures to make air travel fair and just for the passengers.

"We have referred to EU practices in civil aviation that protects the rights of the fliers. Taking cue from the EU practices, we placed before the DGCA and the Ministry several aspects to be taken care of like denied boarding, excess baggage, lost or damaged baggage, delayed departure, cancellation charges, among others. We hope these will be accommodated in the draft policy," said D Sudhakara Reddy, Founder & National President, APAI, who was in Ahmedabad for executive committee meeting of the body.

He mentioned that with APAI's measures to make airline companies accountable for delays and cancellations, in the month of April alone, the airlines had made refunds worth Rs 3.3 crore.

The association has also sought a cap on the number of hours in flight delays that do not result in any compensation for passengers.

The executive committee meeting saw several issues being addressed, including rationalisation of air ticket cancellation charges and the need for checks on user development fees being charged by private airport operators.

Pitching hard for the privatisation of the Ahmedabad International Airport, Reddy highlighted the lack of basic facilities for the passengers and cleanliness at the airport premises.

"Ahmedabad deserves a world-class airport to reflect its stature as one of the most important cities in the country. Despite repeated representations to authorities, Ahmedabad airport continues to lag behind other airports," he said.

APAI further said that while the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has many remarkable people who work tirelessly in difficult circumstances, the tendering norms are cumbersome and don't necessarily award the job to the best company. Hence, a number of issues continue to plague Ahmedabad airport and all other AAI airports with the gap between the private and AAI airports becoming wider each passing year.

"We have compiled some serious recommendations on the upgradation of airport facilities at the Sardar Patel Airport in Ahmedabad. We are actively considering uniting efforts with the Union Government to enhance checks on user development fees being charged on an ad-hoc basis by private airport operators. Our stress will continue to be on ensuring passenger comfort and fair charges to the passengers," Behram Mehta, Gujarat Area Chairman for APAI, said.

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