Over 25000 job seekers cause near-stampede at Mumbai airport for interviews | Watch
A recruitment drive by Air India Airport Services Ltd (AIASL) for airport loaders spiraled into chaos at Mumbai airport yesterday, as more than 25,000 job seekers turned up to try their luck for just 600 vacancies.
The overwhelming turnout left Air India staff struggling to manage the massive crowd, leading to a stampede-like situation.
Visuals from the scene showed a frantic crowd jostling to reach the form counters. Reports indicated that applicants endured hours of waiting without food and water, leading to many facing health issues.
The aspirants said they were waiting in the queue since the previous night braving the rain and hunger.
Airport loaders play a critical role in the aviation industry, responsible for loading and unloading luggage, operating baggage belts, and driving ramp tractors. Each aircraft requires at least five loaders to handle luggage, cargo, and food supplies. Despite the demanding nature of the job, the position offers a salary ranging between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per month, with most loaders earning over Rs 30,000 after overtime allowances. The educational criteria for the job are relaxed, but candidates must be physically strong.
A video clip of the massive crowd of aspirants gathered at the interview location went viral on social media platforms. The huge crowd also caused a traffic jam in the area.
BREAKING NEWS ➖ Mumbai
— Ravinder Kapur. (@RavinderKapur2) July 17, 2024
Watch hundreds and thousands of unemployed youth seeking job under the Narendra Modi government.
"Thousands of people have turned up in Mumbai's Kalina for a walk-in interview at Air India Airport Services Ltd."#Mumbai #Interview #JobSeekers… pic.twitter.com/e9RTi8jy0b
🚨 Crowd for walk-in interviews for airport services jobs at AI Airport Services in Mumbai.
— Indian Tech & Infra (@IndianTechGuide) July 17, 2024
(📷-@shukla_tarun) pic.twitter.com/d4aOxGoBcM
Earlier, a similar incident occurred in Gujarat’s Bharuch district where nearly 1800 job aspirants queued up to appear for the interview held by a private firm for just 10 posts. The viral video recently surfaced showing hundreds of jobseekers pushing and shoving at a walk-in interview for just 10 positions at a private firm. The rush was so intense that a railing collapsed under the weight of the jobseekers, though fortunately, no serious injuries were reported.
ભરૂચમાં બેરોજગારીને ઉજાગર કરતો વીડિયો સામે આવ્યો
— Darshan Chaudhari (@Bajarangi_) July 11, 2024
10 પોસ્ટ માટેના ઇન્ટરવ્યૂમાં હજારો યુવાનો પહોંચ્યા
ઇન્ટરવ્યૂ માટે થયેલી ભીડમાં થઈ ધકકા મુક્કી
ભીડ એટલી ભારે હતી કે હોટેલની રેલીંગ તુટી ગઈ
થર્મેક્સ કંપની દ્વારા અંકલેશ્વરની લોર્ડ્સ પ્લાઝા હોટલમાં ઇન્ટરવ્યુનું આયોજન થયું હતું pic.twitter.com/d2hBfZrr5q
A political crossfire started online after the video of the recruitment chaos at Mumbai airport went viral. However, Air India is yet to respond to the video but videos like these highlight the scarcity of jobs and the hopelessly skewed ratio between jobs and job seekers in our country.