MUMBAI: A severe security staff shortage has led Jet Airways to bypass some mandatory security procedures for aircraft departures at the airport, reveal documents. For instance, in an internal communication in April, a Jet official flagged "acute shortage of staff in peak time," especially at night.
The email (copy with TOI), talks of an instance in April when staff shortage forced the airline to board passengers on a Mumbai-Brussels-Newark flight (9W-228) without frisking them. Frisking is part of the 'secondary ladder point check' that is mandatory for all flights to the US originating from the city, as directed by the US security regulator, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The communication says that there were no security staff members manning the aircraft holds, the area under the aircraft from where bags and cargo are loaded. It also says security staffers were not posted in the baggage make-up area, from where checked-in bags are sorted and sent to flights.
On average, Jet Airways security staff in the city attend to 133 departures daily-90 domestic and 27 international of Jet as well as 16 departures of foreign airlines. The airline started taking on security functions for foreign airlines three years ago and has contracts with about 15 carriers.
According to norms laid down by India's security regulator, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), every aircraft operator needs to carry out 13 security functions. These include surveillance of bags from their check-in to the time they are loaded onto the aircraft, ensuring passengers board flights on which their baggage has been checked into, and secondary checks at the ladder point of aircraft, among other things.
"The Arun Mishra Committee report that was adopted by the ministry of civil aviation in 2009 gives a position-by-position count of staff to deploy for each security function," said Col A S Bedi, ex-member of the International Air Transport Association's security committee.
Considering the work-shift patterns and the average number of flights a staffer attends to, an airline would need four to five security personnel per flight, said Bedi.
Going by that, Jet would need 500-600 security personnel in the city. "Jet's security staff strength in Mumbai as on January 2010 was 260 and by 2013 it had risen only to 295," said an airline source, requesting anonymity.
Recently, the BCAS rapped Jet when it sought its nod for taking over security functions at Oman Air.
In a March 11 letter, A K S Billawria, then BCAS regional deputy commissioner of security, said: "Jet Airways has been advised to strengthen their security set-up before providing security services to Oman Air … Till the necessary action is taken by Jet, the agreement may be put on hold."
Air India, which also handles security functions for foreign airlines, has adequate security staff.
No shortage: Jet
Jet Airways denied any shortage of security staff and said that its "security measures and functions are in compliance with the laid-down rules". The airline added that it "carries out security measures and activities as laid down by the TSA and BCAS."
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