Moroccan Transport Minister Addresses Airport Luggage Issues

The responsibility for transporting passengers and their luggage from the departure airport to the destination airport lies with the airlines, as part of their relationship with the operator in charge of ground handling services with whom they are under contract, said the Minister of Transport and Logistics. According to him, this operator manages the forwarding of luggage to the destination airport, receives and processes passenger claims, and tracks the location of luggage until it is returned to the owners.

The Mohammed V airport in Casablanca, like other national airports, has an electronic luggage tracking system, the "BRS", which allows, based on the data recorded on the luggage tag, to track them in any airport in the world until their arrival at the destination airport, assured Abdessamad Kayouh, specifying that the owners of the luggage are contacted so that they can come to the airport to retrieve them. Airports are responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of this system and for monitoring the delivery of luggage by the various ground handling operators.

According to the minister’s explanations, the loss of luggage at the airport is sometimes due to human error when there is a similarity between passengers’ luggage, which can lead to the delivery of one passenger’s suitcase to another. "In this case, the operator in charge of ground handling services handles the complaints of passengers received by the services of the National Airports Office, by conducting investigations and referring to the recordings of the surveillance cameras," he added.

Regarding the delays observed in the delivery of luggage, Kayouh stressed that the Office constantly ensures the availability of the necessary equipment for the transport of passengers’ luggage. It also monitors the performance of ground handling operators to ensure compliance with contractual delivery deadlines.

These clarifications from the minister follow a question asked by Hassan Oumribte, a deputy of the Party of Progress and Socialism. "The airports of the kingdom continue to be the scene, almost daily, of the loss of luggage of many passengers, especially on Royal Air Maroc flights at the Mohammed V international airport in Casablanca," said the elected official. In the face of this situation, "the trip turns into a laborious quest to find one’s luggage, into an ordeal instead of a moment of relaxation and pleasure to reunite with loved ones and friends, and becomes a real source of frustration for passengers wishing to spend their holidays away from the destination airport," he added.

According to Oumribte, the strengthening of the ties between Moroccan citizens residing abroad and their country of origin, the success of sporting events and upcoming international events, as well as the achievement of the objectives of major tourism projects, depend on the quality of air transport services in our airports, particularly in terms of reception and luggage delivery.