IndiGo and Mumbai airport were asked to pay a fine of Rs 1.2 crore and Rs 90 lakh respectively over the incident where passengers sat on the tarmac and ate food.
IndiGo and Mumbai airport were asked to pay a fine of Rs 1.2 crore and Rs 90 lakh respectively over the incident where passengers sat on the tarmac and ate food while waiting for their delayed flight. The penalty imposed on IndiGo is the highest amount the airline has had to pay in recent times.
The fines were imposed on IndiGo and the Mumbai airport by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). BCAS imposed a fine of Rs 1.2 crore on IndiGo and Rs 60 lakh on Mumbai airport, while DGCA asked the aiport to pay Rs 30 lakh.
The DGCA said the presence of passengers on an “active apron” for a considerable amount of time was against the norms and could have jeopardised the people and the aircraft. The incident involved passengers of an IndiGo flight 6E 2195 from Goa to Delhi.
They were already frustrated after their flight got delayed and when it diverted to Mumbai due to fog, the passengers rushed out on the tarmac, the Mumbai Airport had said earlier.
Meanwhile, the DGCA also slapped fines on Air India and SpiceJet for violating norms concerning rostering of pilots trained to fly during low visibility (CAT III trained). Both airlines were asked to pay Rs 30 lakh by the DGCA.
WHAT DGCA, BCAS SAID ON INDIGO, MUMBAI AIRPORT
The BCAS said IndiGo allowed passengers from flight 6E 2195 to disembark on the tarmac and have food there while they “intermingled” with others while “making movements to and fro from the adjacent apron control building”.
Earlier, IndiGo and Mumbai Airport had received show cause notices from the Ministry of Civil Aviation over the incident which took place on January 15. As per the notice, IndiGo allowed passengers from flight 6E 2195 to disembark and then allowed to board flight 6E 2091 without screening them.
The BCAS further pointed out that IndiGo did not report the incident till the bureau sought it.
It said IndiGo’s reply on the incident showed that the airline was aware of the situation even before the flight left Goa and “did not factor in the growing anger amongst the passengers and the time to be taken for arrival of fresh crew”.
The airline did not make any request to the airport operator for a contact – stand to ensure better facilitation of the “harassed passengers”, said the BCAS in its notice.
The DGCA said the Mumbai Airport failed to maintain discipline in the tarmac area and did not take any action to prevent the movement of passengers there. It added that the Mumbai Airport said it treated the incident as “business as usual” which reflected their “casual approach towards the safety” of passengers.
source by: India Today News
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