Four flyers handed over to cops for not wearing mask on flight
DGCA had directed airlines to make passengers aware of the travel protocol, ensure their strict compliance and consequences for willfully violating them.
NEW DELHI: In a first, four passengers have been booked for not adhering to Covid norms on board an Alliance Air flight on Tuesday.
All four travellers have been handed over to security agencies on arrival in Delhi.
According to sources, four passengers on 9I-614 Jammu-Delhi refused to wear masks despite being repeatedly cabin announcements by pilots and crew.
Hence, the airline decided to initiate action against them under ‘unruly’ flyer rules. This could mean a ban on their flying on at least Alliance Air for some time.
“…after constant requests (for wearing masks), when the passengers did not adhere to the laid down guidelines and could have endangered fellow passengers, we apprised the concerned authorities,” Alliance Air said in a statement.
About this particular case, AA CEO Harpreet A De Singh said “safety is always first for us. We have zero tolerance for violation of safety and security norms.”
In October last year, IndiGo had barred nine electronic media personnel from flying for a fortnight after they violated Covid norms. The passengers were not maintaining social distancing and not wearing masks while covering actress Kangana Ranaut’s journey on a flight from Chandigarh to Mumbai in September.
A subsidiary of Air India, AA has reported the matter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). “Passenger safety is Alliance Air’s top most priority…. (We) brief passengers at every touch point, makes regular in flight announcements (about all safety and Covid norms),” the airline said.
Earlier this week, the DGCA had directed airlines to provide passengers a digital copy of its circular issued on March 13 — that laid down pandemic travel protocols, emphasising on social distancing and wearing masks properly at all times — “along with ticket and also with electronic or normal boarding card, as applicable”.
The regulator had also directed airlines to make passengers aware of the travel protocol, ensure their strict compliance and consequences for willfully violating them.
Airlines have been asked to sensitise passengers of these steps through frequent boarding gate and onboard announcements. Airports have also been asked to display the protocol prominently.
The DGCA action follows an order by the Delhi high court on March 8 after Justice C Hari Shankar observed an “alarming situation” — a blatant violation of Covid protocol by passengers — while travelling on an Air India flight from Kolkata to Delhi on March 5.
Justice Shankar passed a landmark judgment three days later to ensure passengers follow all Covid protocol.
The high court order said: “In-flight crew shall carry out periodical checks of the aircraft, in order to ensure that all passengers are complying with the protocol to be followed by them in flight, especially regarding wearing of masks. It is made clear that masks should be worn as directed by governmental instructions, covering the nose and mouth, and not worn merely covering the mouth or below the chin.”
“In the event of any passenger being unwilling to follow this protocol prior to the flight taking off, the passenger should be offloaded without delay. If a passenger, despite being reminded more than once in flight, refuses to follow this protocol, action should be taken against the passenger in accordance with (DGCA) guidelines, including placing the passenger on a ‘no-fly’ regimen, either permanently or for a stipulated, sufficiently long, period,” the order added.
Following this order, the DGCA issued a string of directives last Saturday. It directed security agencies not to allow airport entry to passengers who are not wearing masks; asked airlines to deboard passengers who refuse to wear masks properly before take off and begin action under unruly flyer rules for those do not wear a mask properly inflight.
Once classified as unruly, a person can be barred for flying for anywhere up to a lifetime depending on the gravity of violation of safety norms by him or her.
“In case, any passenger is not following Covid-19 protocol (that includes nor wearing masks properly or not following social distancing norms), they should be handed over to security agencies after proper warnings. If required, they may be dealt as per law,” DGCA’s last Saturday order to all airlines, airport operators and security agencies said.
