by Staff Correspondent
In-line with its vision to enhance efficiency and sustainability, IndiGo, India’s leading carrier, has productively utilized the last year to introduce automated solutions for ground support equipment. The project led by Mr. Sanjeev Ramdas, Executive Vice President Customer Service, has successfully reduced emissions from ground support operations by 1246 tonnes, which would amount to about 5% decrease effectively.
The airline adopted various innovative solutions in both passenger and freight services such as modified baggage BFL for cabin loading, battery swapping by monorail crane, using 10-ton electrical tug instead of 20-ton, battery operated baggage freight loader, battery operated baggage water cart, portable baggage transfer belt, implementation of vehicle mounted transfer rollers and ran trials of electric coaches. Additionally, the airline converted old coaches to make portable cabins for staff at the airport. These initiatives, implemented at Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi and Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru airports, not only reduced 90 mins of man hours per flight, but also brought in overall cost savings of about 15cr over a year.
Mr. Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, President & Chief Operating Officer IndiGo said, “We have leveraged the last year not only to become more efficient but also to reduce the impact of our operations on the environment. Ground support equipment automation has enhanced sustainability in our operations by reducing dependence on fuel and cutting down carbon emissions by around 5% effectively. It has also affected in time and cost savings, which will enable us to continue to offer an affordable and on-time experience to our customers. We will persist to explore and adopt innovative measures to augment sustainability and efficiency, towards our goal of being the fittest airline that is ready for the future”.
The airline also implemented Portable baggage transfer belts at Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata airports, along with vehicle mounted transfer rollers at Delhi and Mumbai airports. This has reduced manpower engagement, baggage offloading time and lowered the risk of baggage/CarGo mishandling, while ensuring the health & safety of the workforce.
