Ahmedabad: Passengers travelling through Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport have alleged that discrepancies in baggage weighing scales used by various airlines are forcing them to pay excess luggage charges or discard belongings before boarding. Consumer groups say repeated complaints have not led to a thorough investigation by authorities to determine if the airport’s luggage weighing systems meet prescribed standards.

It is alleged that even though passengers leave their homes after getting their luggage weighed, the scales used by airlines at the airport reportedly show the weight to be 200 to 300 grams higher. Due to this difference, passengers either have to discard some of their valuable belongings or pay costly excess baggage charges.

The matter was formally raised on 29 December 2025, when passengers submitted a written complaint, with photographic evidence, to the Legal Metrology Department. But complainants say officials failed to conduct a detailed examination of the airlines’ weighing scales. They also say that an incomplete inspection was carried out on 4 February 2026, without the presence of representatives of the Consumer Protection Board.

Instead of checking the accuracy of baggage weighing machines, the authorities are learnt to have imposed a total fine of only Rs 40,000 on three food and beverage outlets at the airport for violating the provisions of the Legal Metrology Act and Package Commodities Rules.

Consumer rights representatives also complained that there were no certified government standard weights at the airport to check the accuracy of the luggage scales. As per the rules, standard certified weights equivalent to one-tenth of the capacity of the electronic weighing scales were also not present. Moreover, the government verification certificate was not displayed in a visible manner.

Consumer groups have called for a full check of all the systems used to weigh baggage at the airport to prevent passengers from being unfairly charged due to inaccurate measurements. DeshGujarat