In a move that could lead to problems for IndiGo passengers at some Indian airports, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued a notice to Interglobe Aviation, the company that runs the country’s largest domestic airline, for not using its Baggage Reconciliation System (BRS) in 11 airports, two officials familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

AAI has given 15 days time to IndiGo, after which it the airline cannot use its own BRS in airports including Ahmedabad, Pune, Goa, Jaipur, Lucknow and Guwahati. The state-owned airport operator says this compromises safety of checked-in luggage.

The BRS ensures whether passengers with checked-in bags board the flight. If a passenger fails to board or the baggage cannot be loaded, the system issues an alert. If a passenger fail to turn up at the boarding gate, the bag is removed from the aircraft.

Airports handling more than 1.5 million passengers per annum need to have a BRS. While other airlines use it by paying a usage charge, IndiGo doesn’t. “At Chennai and Kolkata, IndiGo is using AAI’s BRS and paying for it also. But at other AAI-run airports, IndiGo is using its own BRS and despite repeated requests, not complying,” said a senior AAI official, requesting anonymity.

AAI, which runs 94 airports around the country, currently offers the facility in 13 airports and will soon offer it in 27 more. IndiGo has a market share of about 40% and carries about 4.5 million passengers every month.

“The operation directorate of AAI has issued a notice to airport directors and IndiGo, asking them to ensure the airline starts using the system within 15 days; otherwise coercive action will be taken. Though only about 20 airports are in the 1.5 million category, on the basis of growth, we have installed the system at 40 airports,” said IN Murthy, member (operations) of AAI.

An IndiGo spokesperson did not respond to queries .

First Published: Nov 15, 2018 23:51 IST