Lok Sabha Question No. 3446 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Baggage Mishandling at Airports
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Shri Praveen Khandelwal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 3446

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  12th March 2026 )

## BAGGAGE MISHANDLING AT AIRPORTS

3446.    SHRI PRAVEEN KHANDELWAL Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) maintained data on delayed, mishandled and lost baggage cases during the last three years and if so, the details thereof, airport-wise, particularly for high-traffic airports such as Delhi;
- (b) whether any service level benchmarks for baggage delivery timelines have been formally prescribed for scheduled airlines and if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  penalties  or  compensation  mechanisms  under  Civil  Aviation Requirements are being strictly enforced in cases of delay or mishandling and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether a centralised digital tracking and grievance redressal dashboard for baggage related complaints is operational and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the steps taken to strengthen passenger rights enforcement and operational accountability of airlines?

## ANSWER

Minister  of  State  in  the  Ministry  of  CIVIL  AVIATION            (Shri  Murlidhar Mohol)

(a) to (c): The Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued a Passenger Charter aimed at outlining the rules and rights of air travel passengers. As per the Passenger Charter,  the  provisions  regarding  "Lost,  Delayed,  or  Damaged  Baggage  or Cargo" are as follows:

For Domestic Carriage:

A. In case of loss, delay, or damage to baggage, the carrier liability is limited to Rs. 20,000 per passenger.

B. In case of loss, delay, or damage to cargo, the carrier liability is limited to Rs. 350 per kg.

For International Carriage:

A. In case of loss, delay, or damage to baggage, the carrier liability is limited to 1,131 SDR per passenger.

B. In case of loss, delay, or damage to cargo, the carrier liability is limited to 19 SDR per kg.

Grievances received for the last three years is placed at Annexure.

(d):  The  AirSewa  portal,  an  initiative  by  the  Ministry  of  Civil  Aviation (MoCA), enables grievance redressal in  a  time-bound  manner  and  provides  a one-stop solution for hassle-free air travel. It allows passengers to submit and track  grievances  related  to  various  stakeholders  such  as  Airlines,  Airports, Security,  DGCA,  Customs,  Immigration,  BCAS  under  various  grievance categories including Baggage Claim.

(e):  To  ensure  appropriate  protection  for  air  travellers,  DGCA  has  issued  the following  passenger-centric  regulations/circulars  to  safeguard  the  interests  of the travelling public:

a)  Carriage  by  Air  of  Persons  with  Disability  and/  or  Persons  with  Reduced Mobility [Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 3, Series M, Part I].

b)  Facilities  to  be  provided  to  passengers  by  airlines  due  to  denied  boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights (CAR Section 3, Series M, Part IV).

c) Refund of Airline Tickets to Passengers (CAR Section 3, Series M, Part II) and Air Transport Circular ATC 01 of 2024, titled "Unbundle of services and fees by scheduled airlines".

DGCA also conducts surveillance and spot checks at various airports across the country.

******

Annexure Grievances regarding Damaged Baggage, Delayed Baggage and

Missing/Stolen Baggage for the last three years:

| Year                   |   Damaged Baggage | Delayed Baggage   |   Missing/Stolen Baggage | Remarks                                                                             |
|------------------------|-------------------|-------------------|--------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2024                   |               224 | -                 |                      185 | DGCA was not maintaining data for the category 'Delayed Baggage' till the year 2024 |
| 2025                   |               416 | 76                |                      433 |                                                                                     |
| 2026 (till 28.02.2026) |               153 | 69                |                      173 |                                                                                     |