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Cargo handling firm assures clients of luggage safety
2006-05-24 09:45:28
By Joyce Mkinga
The Cargo handling company at the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Airport, Swissport Tanzania Limited, has assured clients of their security and that of their properties saying luggage loss and pilferages has greatly been contained now compared to the past.
The Swissport Executive Director, Gaudence Temu, told The Guardian yesterday that it was difficult to point out the sources to the problem of luggage loss and pilferages because it could happen at any point along the flight route — at the source, in transit or at the last destination.
’It is very difficult to tell where the problem exactly starts because it can happen anywhere along the route,’ he said.
Temu said at the Mwalimu Nyerere International Airport a lot has been done to improve the security of the clients and their property whereby a camera has been installed to monitor what takes place in important areas at the airport within 24 hours a day.
The company has established security department which among other things handle and monitor passenger luggage from offloading points to conveyor belts where the customers collect them.
There are also private security companies that have been employed by airlines.
He said it was important for the stakeholders in the sector to co-operate in order to solve the problem instead of pointing an accusing finger to one another.
The Swissport executive director said his company understands the problem of baggage loss and pilferage and that’s why it has been investing millions of shillings to control such incidences.
Temu said the company has had such problems in the past and steps had been taken against unfaithful employees.
’In the past years, the problem was big but we took steps including termination services of unfaithful employees,’ he said.
He said the problem was common worldwide and that in comparison, Tanzania airports were better than many other airports in the world.
Swissport Tanzania Limited was responding to complains on baggage pilferage that occurred on Sunday.
The passengers, mostly middle level businesswomen who flew in the Ethiopian Airlines flight were on their way from Dubai.
’We are very sorry to them but as a company we will not leave the trend to continue and we will continue to co-operate with the airlines to solve the problem,’ he said.
On Monday, Ethiopian Airlines threw the blame on Swissport Tanzania Limited on the loss of their customer’s luggage promising to beef up security at the country’s two main airports in Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro to control loss of customers’ luggage and personal effects.
The airline,s regional manager, Martha Tilahun, said effective from today, the international carrier will hire a private security company to beef up Swissport Tanzania Limited’s security arrangements.
’There will be security guards to monitor handling of passengers’ luggage rights from the offloading point to the point of delivery,’ Tilahum said.
Swissport welcomed the move saying that it would help to know the truth regarding the source of the problem.
He said he had already registered concern over the ripped open and under weight luggage which was on transit from Addis Ababa.
Officials at both Mwalimu Nyerere and Kilimanjaro International airports could not be held responsible thereof.
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