Cause AI flight delays, pay fine up to `15 lakh
In the wake of the Ravindra Gaikwad episode, Air India is planning to impose steep fines of up to `15 lakh on unruly passengers who delay flights.
According to an official proposal mooted within the airline, passengers who delay flights up to one hour will be fined `5 lakhs, while those who delay it between one to two hours will be fined `10 lakh, and those delaying it beyond two hours will be fined `15 lakh. Sources said the proposal is now being examined by the airline’s legal department before a final decision is taken. “Recent incidents of unruly behaviour and assault on AI employees by passengers, whether VIPs or otherwise, have caused severe damage to the morale of employees,” a source said, adding: “Air India therefore must have a procedure for handling such unruly passengers.”
The Air India proposal cites three instances of alleged misbehaviour by MPs in 18 months. DC CORRESPONDENT
Air India is planning to impose steep fines of upto `15 lakh on unruly passengers who delay flights.
Among the cases cited by AI, two occurred in the past month, including the case of Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who allegedly hit an Air India employee last month after a flight. He was banned from flying Air India but the airline later lifted the ban on the government’s “advice”.
Another reported incident of a YSR Congress MP, P.V. Mithun Reddy, allegedly assaulting an airline official at Tirupati in November 2015 has also been referred to. The recent case of a woman Trinamul MP who allegedly delayed a flight after an argument with airline staff on board was also mentioned.
The proposal states the fines for delaying flights were “symbolic” and “not on actuals”. The airline’s employees have also been told that any incident of a passenger resorting to unruly behaviour must be intimated to the airport manager’s office and the Air India CMD’s office. A police complaint or FIR must also be filed, with “property damage to be assessed and claimed”.
The move comes even as the government is planning to come out with a ‘no-fly list’.