A recruitment drive for airport loaders led to a stampede-like situation at Mumbai airport yesterday. Over 25,000 applicants showed up for the 2,216 vacancies, overwhelming the staff of Air India Airport Services Limited, which provides ground handling services at major airports in India.
Visuals showed the applicants jostling to reach the form counters, with reports indicating that many had to wait for hours without food and water, leading to several feeling unwell.
Airport loaders are responsible for loading and unloading luggage on aircraft and operating baggage belts and ramp tractors. Each aircraft requires at least five loaders to manage luggage, cargo, and food supplies.
The salary for airport loaders ranges from ₹20,000 to ₹25,000 a month, but most make over ₹30,000 with overtime allowances. While the educational requirements for the job are basic, candidates must be physically strong.
Among the aspirants was Prathameshwar from Buldhana district, who traveled over 400 km for the interview. "I have come to apply for the post of handyman. They are offering a salary of ₹22,500," he said. Prathameshwar is a second-year BBA student. When asked if he would quit his studies if he got the job, he replied, "What do we do? There is so much unemployment. I urge the government to create more job opportunities."
Another aspirant with a BA degree said he did not know much about the work of a handyman but needed the job. A candidate from Rajasthan's Alwar, with an MCom degree, applied for a job requiring basic education. "I am preparing for government job exams as well. Someone told me the salary here is good, so I came."
The Mumbai incident follows a viral video showing hundreds of jobseekers pushing and shoving each other at a walk-in interview in Ankleshwar in Gujarat's Bharuch district. Nearly 1,800 aspirants had turned up for a recruitment drive for just 10 posts in a private firm, causing a railing to collapse under their weight. Fortunately, no serious injuries occurred.
The Congress seized on the video, criticizing the BJP's Gujarat model and claiming it imposed unemployment across the country. Local BJP MP Mansukh Vasava blamed the private firm for the incident, suggesting they should have specified the criteria properly instead of holding an open interview.
The Mumbai airport video has also prompted Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad to raise the unemployment issue and target the BJP. She commented on the dire unemployment situation, stating that youngsters are ready to fight wars for Russia and Israel due to the lack of job opportunities. "Whenever they hear of jobs, they gather in thousands, and there is a fear of stampede," she said in a Hindi post on X.
Air India has yet to respond to the viral video.
