DUBAI- Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TVM) has blocked Emirates Airline (EK) from using its aerobridge facilities following the airline’s refusal to share passenger manifests with airport authorities.
The restriction forces all passengers, including premium travelers, to use stairs and shuttle buses when boarding or disembarking aircraft, Onmanorama reported.
Photo: By Curimedia – Flickr: Boeing 777-31H/ER Emirates A6-EGK, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21324027Emirates 777 Denied Aerobridge at TVM
Emirates operates daily flights between Dubai (DXB) and Thiruvananthapuram using Boeing 777-300 aircraft.
The dispute has created significant inconvenience for travelers, particularly affecting business and first-class passengers who now must use external stairs to board or exit planes before being transported to the terminal building by bus.
The conflict stems from Emirates’ unwillingness to provide passenger details to Adani Airport Holdings Limited, the private operator managing Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.
Photo: Alexander Lang | FlickrIn response to this escalating situation, the Thiruvananthapuram Chamber of Commerce has submitted a formal memorandum to airport officials criticizing the measure.
The Chamber argues that Adani Group’s actions appear retaliatory rather than constructive, stating the airport operator should focus on attracting additional air service to the city instead of engaging in disputes with established carriers.
Business leaders have expressed concern that continued tension could potentially lead Emirates to cancel service to Thiruvananthapuram altogether, further harming local travelers and the regional economy.
Photo: Bhavya Velani, Aviation A2ZSimilar Incident
A traveler shared their ordeal on social media platform X, detailing a serious accident that occurred during disembarkation from an IndiGo Airlines (6E) flight. The incident happened on August 14 when the passenger arrived at Delhi’s Terminal 2 from Chennai. Instead of an aerobridge, passengers were directed to use ramps to exit the aircraft.
The passenger reported, “It was drizzling slightly as we landed though it had stopped when the doors opened. The ramp was dark, & as it usually does, had a rubber sheet on it. I was walking down it at normal pace. Half way down the ramp, my right foot suddenly slipped on a moist patch on the ramp.”
This slip resulted in a severe injury diagnosed as an ankle dislocation with a trimalleolar fracture. IndiGo staff provided a wheelchair and transported the injured passenger to the terminal clinic, from where they were transferred by ambulance to a hospital in Gurgaon.
Upon filing a complaint, the passenger claims IndiGo’s response exacerbated the situation. According to the passenger, the airline avoided accepting responsibility and refused compensation, instead implying the passenger fabricated the incident.
The injured traveler underwent surgery that reportedly required significant financial resources and now faces months of recovery. “Now have a plate and bunch of screws in my right ankle, depend on a walker for limited mobility, deal with swollen ankles, occasional pain, two ugly surgery scars, & physiotherapy routine, hoping for some normalcy next year,” the passenger stated.
The traveler also noted this wasn’t an isolated incident, claiming that falls on IndiGo ramps occur frequently enough to warrant newspaper coverage and social media reports from other affected passengers.
In 2018, India’s Civil Aviation Ministry issued a circular directing airlines to utilize aerobridges when available to enhance passenger convenience, though no mandatory regulations exist. Under the Montreal Convention of 1999, to which India is a signatory, airlines bear liability for passenger injuries occurring during embarkation or disembarkation procedures.
Article 17 of the convention specifically states: “The carrier is liable for damage sustained in case of death or bodily injury of a passenger upon condition only that the accident which caused the death or injury look place on board the aircraft or in the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking.”
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