Mumbai: A series of accidents at the Mumbai International Airport has once again brought the focus back to its problems of congestion. Here's a report from India's busiest airport that handles almost a quarter of India's traffic from one-third the space of Delhi airport.
There are hundreds of: baggage vans, food vans, utility vehicles, and the people manning them - all Fighting for space under pressure to deliver on time.
The result is accidents like the one on Thursday evening where a Taj Sats catering van damaged a door of an Indian Airlines plane while trying to align with the aircraft.
"It is unplanned growth. There are too many people who are not trained to be there," said Captain Minoo Wadia, founder, Federation of Indian pilots.
Drivers without licenses have also been found driving at the airport posing a serious threat to safety.
The MIAL says it has been trying to reduce vehicles inside the operational area and has asked airlines to use a common pool for some services. It is trying to reduce numbers inside airport and use common pool instead of separate staff.
But as per experts, these measures are not enough. Adequate training for those who work on the airside and a mindset that is safety conscious are vital.