Section 3 in Airports Authority of India (Ground Handling Services) Regulations, 2018
3. Ground handling services at airports.
(1)All domestic scheduled airline operators and scheduled helicopter operators will be free to carry out self-handling at all airports including civil enclaves;(2)A foreign airline may undertake self-handling in respect of passenger and baggage handling activities excluding security functions listed in paragraph 1 of AVSEC Order No. 03/2009 dated the 21st August, 2009 [enclosed as Annexure-I] at the airport terminals restricted to the passenger check-in at pre security hold area, at all the airports except [civil enclaves:] [Substituted 'civil enclaves;' by Notification F. No. AAI/OPS/707/GHR, dated 06.03.2020 (w.e.f. 26.10.2018).][Provided that, the full self-handling, including security functions, shall be allowed to be undertaken by the designated airline of a country having a bilateral Air Transport Agreement or Air Services Agreement with India containing a clause permitting self-handling by the designated airlines, at any airport in India available to such airline(s) as a point of call under the bilateral Agreement, except at civil enclaves of defence airports, subject to the condition of compliance with additional security measures as may be made by the Ministry of Civil Aviation from time to time and implemented under oversight of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security] [Inserted by Notification F. No. AAI/OPS/707/GHR, dated 06.03.2020 (w.e.f. 26.10.2018).];(3)At the cargo terminal except civil enclave, all cargo aircraft operator may undertake self handling excluding security functions listed in paragraph 1 of AVSEC Order No. 03/2009 referred to in [sub-regulation (2):] [Substituted 'sub-regulation (2);' by Notification F. No. AAI/OPS/707/GHR, dated 06.03.2020 (w.e.f. 26.10.2018).][Provided that, the security functions may also be undertaken by the designated cargo airline(s) of a country having a bilateral Air Transport Agreement or Air Services Agreement with India containing a clause permitting self-handling by the designated airlines, subject to the condition of compliance with additional security measures as may be made by the Ministry of Civil Aviation from time to time and implemented under oversight of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security.] [Substituted by Notification F. No. AAI/OPS/707/GHR, dated 06.03.2020 (w.e.f. 26.10.2018).](4)At the airport having annual passenger throughput of ten million passengers per annum or above, the airport operator shall ensure that there will be three ground handling agencies including that of, -(a)the airport operator or its joint venture or its hundred percent owned subsidiary;(b)a joint venture or a subsidiary of the Air India; and(c)any other ground handling agencies appointed by the airport operator through a transparent bidding process.(5)At the airport having annual passenger throughput of less than ten million passengers per annum, based on the traffic output and airside and terminal building capacity, the airport operator may decide on the number of ground handling agencies, not exceeding three, including that of, -(a)the airport operator or its joint venture or its hundred percent owned subsidiary;(b)a Joint Venture or a subsidiary of Air India; and(c)any other ground handling agency appointed by the airport operator through a transparent bidding process.(6)A ground handling agency, with foreign ownership of fifty percent or more of its paid-up capital shall not be allowed to undertake ground handling activities at the civil enclave;(7)At all airports, the joint venture or the subsidiary of Air India shall match the lowest royalty paid by the other ground handling agencies, as long as majority share in such entity is with the Government;(8)The provisions of sub-regulations (4), (5) and (7) relating to subsidiary or joint venture of the Air India shall apply so long as such ground handling agency remains a subsidiary or a fifty-fifty joint venture of a public sector undertaking and in case such ground handling agency ceases to be subsidiary or a fifty-fifty joint venture of a public sector undertaking, the provisions of sub-regulations (4), (5) and (7) shall continue to apply to such ground handling agency at all such airports where it is operating as a ground handling agency, for a period of [eighty-four] [Substituted 'thirty-six' by Notification No. F. No. AAI/OPS/707/GHR, dated 24.9.2019 (w.e.f. 26.10.2018).] months from the date such ground handling agency ceased to be a subsidiary or a joint venture of a public sector undertaking;(9)No royalty is payable in case of self-handling; and(10)All airlines, joint ventures, subsidiaries, ground handling agencies shall enter into an agreement with the airport operator for the satisfactory observance of performance of standards as may be mutually acceptable.
