Ground Duty Staff
Passenger services needs to be overseen by a number of staff carrying out such duties as directing passengers, providing information, checking ticket, issuing boarding passes, luggage and cargo documentation, passenger listing etc.
Passenger services personnel are recruited by almost all airlines, public and private, from young graduates/post graduates who have excellent communication skills and the ability to work as a team. They are the first people to welcome the passengers, check them in and issue boarding passes. They provide information attend to passenger queries, guide them through immigration terminals, custom checks and security clearances and attend to passengers needs till they are on the flight.
Check in personnel receive passengers and their luggage at the check in counters and process their reservations, tickets and boarding passes. Flight supervisors and attendants over see the boarding and deplaning of passengers. Dispatchers help to ensure flights depart on schedule. Station agents supervise the loading and unloading of baggage and assist disabled passengers while boarding. Traffic assistants oversee the loading and unloading of passengers’ luggage, issuing instructions to passengers while deplaning and arranging trolleys for carrying out their luggage.
Entry
Some foreign airlines also recruit ground duty passenger service staff and reservation staff from India to take care of passengers at our country’s terminals. British Airways has staff for its message editing unit in Delhi. Swiss Air tied up with Tata Consultancy to service the entire accounting of the airline giving opportunity to 150 systems operators. Other airlines are likely to offer jobs to Indians with the boom entering international travel.
Jobs at Airports
Introduction
Airports play a very important role in civil aviation. To provide the best possible maintenance and facilities the two organizations : the International Airport Authority of India and the National Airport Authority of India have been merged into one organisation now called as Airport Authorities of India. A tremendous amount of coordinated activity of trained personnel using hi-tech equipment guided by administrative mechanisms has made international and national air travel safe as well as efficient.
The Airport Authority of India (AAI)
The Airport Authority is responsible for the management and development of all National and International airports located at major cities in different parts of the country. It takes care of the Airlines using these Airports. The Airports Authority is involved in managing domestic aerodromes, civil air terminals and also the civil enclaves at Defence aerodromes providing landing facilities to civil aircrafts.
It controls and manages the entire Indian Air space as accepted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). It is responsible for planning, constructing and maintaining of runways, aircraft movement areas and passenger handling buildings. It provides air traffic services for the safety, regularity and expeditious flow of Air Traffic. It takes care of communication and security systems at domestic airports.
AAI handles the responsibility of warehouses and cargo complexes at the airports. It has the expertise to handle the expansion of airports, air navigation services, ground aids and safety services. The Authority takes up projects, e.g., for flight caliberation of radio navigational aids, or for ground aids and safety services. The Airport Authority has training centres for training fire fighting personnel and for aerodrome and communication personnel. It constantly works towards meeting the desired standards in aerodrome facilities, induction of new aircrafts, modernisation of air traffic control system, terminal facilities etc.
Airports Authority employs maintenance and sanitation crews to maintain the cleanliness of the airport and carry out repair work. Ground personnel work as special duty teams to load and unload cargo, place equipments like ladders for boarding and disembarkation of passengers, maintain the runways, direct airplanes while taxing in and out of the airport.The Airport authority also employs teams of technical personnel - engineers, technicians who inspect, repair and refuel aeroplanes and communication engineers to manage the communication networks. Fire squads and security staff are also positioned for emergencies.
The Administrative staff on airports regulate the activities related to travel regulations, passengers services, immigration and custom regulations. The finance department officials carry out the accounting and financial activities as is required by organisations. The openings are good and remunerative. There in glamour associated with hard work and dedication.
With recent announcements for construction of new airports by private agencies there is scope for many more jobs.
