Indian airports largely unaffected despite strike

New Delhi: Airports across were running smoothly despite more than 15,000 airport workers going on strike nationwide, an official said.

About 500 Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel trained in airfield safety, fire fighting and aircraft marshalling were deployed at 21 major civilian airports to ensure smooth take offs and landings.

Workers including baggage handlers, cleaners and ground staff at 129 government-run airports had walked off their jobs just after midnight to protest plans to privatize two major airports and there were fears that thousands would be stranded.

"Everything is normal. No flights are delayed," said 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."

Flights at the Hyderabad airport were landing and leaving on time Wednesday. Travellers reported only minor inconveniences, such as a lack of porters to help carry bags. Some airlines hired private companies to supply replacements for airport baggage handlers, while some are doing without.

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.

There are reports that a few flights from the capital's Indira Gandhi International Airport were delayed.

Officials admitted that if the 1,700 employees stayed away for long, it would affect baggage handling, sanitation and other ground activities.

Some analysts are concerned that flights could face crippling delays if the strike continues.

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.