Air India lifts flying ban on Shiv Sena MP GaikwadHTC

Air India on Friday lifted its ban on Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, whose flight bookings had been cancelled repeatedly after he assaulted an officer of the carrier last month.

NEW DELHI: Air India on Friday lifted its ban on Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, whose flight bookings had been cancelled repeatedly after he assaulted an officer of the carrier last month.

Sources said the ban was lifted after the civil aviation ministry wrote to the airline, a day after Gaikwad expressed “regrets” over the March 23 incident.

The sources said the Ministry took the decision after the MP assured that such incidents won’t be repeated.

Meanwhile, after Air India said earlier in the day that it has cancelled Gaikwad’s Delhi-Mumbai round tickets for April 17 and 24, the MP issued a statement that he had not booked those tickets.

”It is learnt through media that I have booked the tickets for Air India to travel from Delhi to Mumbai for 17 and 24 April and my defaming is continued. I would like to make it clear that I have neither booked a ticket for 17 nor 24th April, 2017 for any airline as being aired by media as the session will be sin-e-die on 13th April 2017,” the statement read.

”Also I request the airline to find out the true person who has booked the tickets,” he said, adding people should not be penalised for having his name.