Indian Airport Workers Go on Strike

NEW DELHI -- Airports across India were running smoothly Wednesday with flights on time, despite more than 15,000 airport workers going on strike nationwide, an official says.

Workers including baggage handlers, cleaners, and ground staff at 129 government-run airports walked off their jobs just after midnight to protest plans to privatize two major airports.

The strike was expected for days and there were fears that flights would be grounded, stranding tens of thousands of passengers. But the scene at several major airports was normal Wednesday morning and officials say the situation was under control.

Some airlines had hired private companies to supply replacements for airport baggage handlers, while some were doing without.

"Everything is normal. No flights are delayed," says Pram Nath, general manager for the Airport Authority of India, which oversees the country's government-run airports. "There is nothing to worry about. It will be a minor incident."

New Delhi and Mumbai - the two busiest airports and the destinations of most international flights - are privately run and were not affected by the strike.

The dispute stems from a government plan to privatize new airports in the southern cities of Hyderabad and Bangalore. The airport workers' union has said such a step would endanger hundreds of employees' jobs.

The large cities of Hyderabad and Bangalore are Indian bases for several major multinational corporations and scores of thriving information technology companies.

Flights at the Hyderabad airport were landing and leaving on time Wednesday. Travelers reported only minor inconveniences, such as a lack of porters to help carry bags.

Some analysts were concerned, however, flights could face crippling delays if the strike continues.

Subhash Goyal, chairman of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, says any such strike could potentially cost the country's booming aviation sector millions of dollars and "have a tremendous impact on travelers."

Nath says he was confident, however, there would be no major disruptions.

"In case of any crisis we have a contingency plan and we will mange smoothly," he says.

India's airline industry has grown dramatically in recent years as rising incomes and loosened regulations put air travel within reach of millions of new customers.

Indian authorities allowed competition with what was then the country's only carrier, Indian Airlines, in the early 1990s. Since then about a dozen airlines have opened, leading to lower prices.