The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) will adopt a series of bold measures to deal with increasing thefts of passengers’ properties in check-in luggage at airports nationwide.

CAAV told a recent meeting that individuals and enterprises involved in the process of inspecting check-in luggage and goods at airports will be responsible for such thefts. The meeting was organized to review the implementation of Plan No. 1269 on preventing baggage and goods thefts in the aviation sector in 2015.

Although this plan was launched in March, thefts of passengers’ properties inside check-in luggage at airports in the first six months of this year were higher than in the same period of previous years.

CAAV reported that passengers claimed 205 cases of pilfering for their check-in luggage with 141 of them reported on international flights in 2013. There were 301 theft cases last year but the number jumped to 168 in the first half of this year.

Therefore, CAAV director general Lai Xuan Thanh told relevant agencies to work out effective coping measures for application this month. 

People assigned to handle baggage checking systems including employees, team leaders, heads of working shifts and executives will be held responsible for losses of passengers’ properties in check-in luggage.

Police will be asked to investigate serious theft cases and airport staff and team leaders could be suspended for investigations if needed. 

CAAV told Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) to complete the construction of security fences at all airports and install more cameras at warehouses and other places to better monitor the check-in luggage and goods checking process at airports.