AAI floats tender for 800 baggage trolleys at Goa Airport

Airports Authority of India (AAI) has floated a tender for retrieval, safeguarding and maintenance of 800 baggage trolleys at Goa Airport for three years. While the earnest money deposit (EMD) is Rs 185,600; the minimum reserved license has been fixed at Rs 480,000 approximately, compoundable by 10 per cent per annum.

Parties with a minimum of two years' experience in advertisement, display or trolley management services at transportation centres, such as airports, seaports, railways and bus terminals, will be eligible for the contract. Hoteliers, airlines, industrial houses, courier agencies and shopping malls, with running business of not less than two years, are also eligible for the contract. The parties should have an annual turnover of not less than Rs 50 lakh from the business for which the experience has been claimed.

The baggage trolleys have three sides for ad display -- the area inside the trolley basket, the front and the back of the trolley. Most airports in metros have about 8,000 trolleys spread across different terminals. While the media cost for these trolleys varies between Rs 4,000-7,000 in metros; in tier 2 and 3 cities, these can be rented for Rs 1,500-2,000 on a monthly basis.

According to industry insiders, the baggage trolleys at Goa Airport should be priced at Rs 2,500 per month, guaranteeing a monthly income of Rs 20 lakh for the licensee.

Vouching for the medium, Vikas Bhambri, senior vice-president, Mudra Max, points out that every passenger spends close to 15 minutes with a baggage trolley; so, there is no way a brand will miss its TG. "Baggage manufacturers and BFSI are two major categories advertising on these throughout the country, as their main objective is to build frequency with campaigns. To create the right impact, an advertiser must take at least 100 trolleys at one airport," he adds.

According to Gautam Shahane, business head, airports, Times OOH, baggage trolleys are not a popular choice amongst the advertisers; and poor design is one of the main reasons for this.

"As you place luggage inside the trolley's basket, the creative placed on the front gets covered. Unlike the quick and easy application and removal of creatives, using self-adhesive vinyl, on larger formats such as hoardings and billboards; the same process can take weeks in case of baggage trolleys. Also, at international airports, commuters can take the baggage trolleys from terminals up to the parking lots. This option is not viable in India due to poor infrastructure," he says.

Shahane points out that in the past few years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of business travellers who prefer not to carry big bags, negating the need to use a baggage trolley. Therefore, brands miss out on a substantial number of eyeballs.

Priced at Rs 11,250, the duly completed tender documents are to be submitted by June 18 at the office of Airport Director, AAI, Goa Airport.