Baggage handler faces jail after swapping 286 suitcase tags at airport
A 63-year-old man is facing a possible 12 month imprisonment for deliberately redirecting passengers' bags. Luggage bound for five major cities around the world has been affected
A BAGGAGE handler at Singapore's Changi Airport is facing possible jail time after playing a rather disruptive trick with travellers' luggage.
The 63-year-old man has been charged with "mischief" after swapping the tags on 286 different suitcases, causing them to be sent to the wrong destination.
Tay Boon Keh, faced court earlier this week over the incident, which affected passengers on flights bound for Perth, Manila, Frankfurt, London and San Francisco, court documents claimed.
The court told that Tay was aware he would likely "cause wrongful loss" to the airport operator, and that his motives for the incident were unclear.
The Strait Times reported that Tay did not explain his actions, but intends to plead guilty.
The next hearing is on Oct 17, when, if convicted, he can be jailed for up to one year and fined for each of the 286 counts of "mischief".
A Changi Airport spokesperson said the incident was isolated, and there had been no breach of their security protocols.
They told The Straits Times: "Nonetheless, we have enhanced access control as well as the CCTV coverage in the baggage handling area. Patrols have also been stepped up."
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Close to 59 million passengers passed through Changi Airport last year, making it the world’s sixth busiest airport for international traffic.
It flies passengers to 380 cities on over 100 airlines and was voted the world’s best airport in 2017 by the Skytrax air travel consultancy.
As many as 70,000 bags are handled by the airport's staff each day, according to the Changi Airport Group website.
