No ban on taking photos on-board, clarifies DGCA

NEW DELHI: Passengers on board commercial planes will be allowed to take photographs in flight, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation clarified on Sunday, adding that a ban by the regulator only applied to recording equipment and behaviour which compromises air safety, creates chaos and violates norms.

“It is clarified that a bonafide passenger travelling in an aircraft engaged in scheduled air transport services may do still and video photography from inside such an aircraft when in flight; takeoff and landing... however, this permission does not include use of recording equipment which imperils or compromises air safety; violates prevalent norms; creates chaos or disruption during operation of flight or expressly prohibited by crew,” DGCA said in a statement.

The clarification came a day after the aviation regulator issued an order for commercial flights, stating that an airline’s service on a route can be suspended for two weeks if it fails to act against crew or passengers who violate in-flight norms such as a ban on mid-air photography. The suspension would stay in place until the airline takes action for violation of norms.

The aviation regulator added on Saturday that despite these regulations, airlines had often failed to follow the rules primarily due to lack of diligence on their part. “Needless to say that such deviations result in compromise in maintaining the highest standard of safety and therefore is not to be allowed.”

The order came in the aftermath of an incident involving media personnel filming on board an IndiGo flight in which actor Kangana Ranaut was travelling from Chandigarh to Mumbai on Wednesday. A video of media personnel recording inside the flight and creating a ruckus went viral.