AIASL & other ground handling cos start onboarding Celebi staff

New Delhi: Multiple ground handling companies, including state-owned AIASL, Bird Worldwide Flight Services and Indo Thai, are onboarding the staff of Celebi Airport Services India at various airports and fresh airport entry passes are being issued, industry executives said on Friday.

Hours after the security clearance for Celebi was revoked on the grounds of national security on Thursday, the civil aviation ministry said that arrangements have been made at all affected airports to ensure seamless handling of passengers as well as cargo.

The ministry had also said that efforts were being made to ensure that employees working with Celebi are retained and continue to contribute.

Celebi has more than 10,000 staff in India.

The executives said AI Airport Services Ltd (AIASL), AISATS, Bird Worldwide Flight Services Pvt Ltd and Indo Thai Airport Management Services Pvt Ltd, among others, are onboarding the Celebi staff.

The Airport Entry Passes (AEPs) were issued to the staff in the name of Celebi and now, fresh AEPs are being issued to them in the name of the company which has onboarded them, the executives added. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has set a deadline till May 19 for the issuance of the new AEPs.

According to the executives, respective airport operators will soon be floating tenders to appoint ground-handling service providers at the affected airports.

AIASL handles around 560 flights daily at around 85 airports in the country. The company has around 20,000 employees. Industry executives said AIASL has taken hundreds of Celebi staff and is working to ensure seamless ground handling services at some of the airports where Celebi used to provide the services.