Taking cognizance of air safety violations by media personnel on an IndiGo flight in which actress Kangana Ranaut was flying, the aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA) has decided to punish the private airlines for such violations in future. In an order issued on September 12, the DGCA has said that if an air passenger takes a picture on board of a flight without any permission from the designated authorities, the concerned airlines will face action.
On September 9, media personnel, while flying with Ranaut from Chandigarh to Mumbai, not only mobbed her on board for interviews, they even didn’t take the seat despite repeated warnings from the pilot and cabin crew. Their unruly behaviour continued even when the plane hit the runway.
The DGCA order says that it has been decided that from now on the flight for that particular schedule on that route shall be suspended for a period of two weeks from the next day.
The said flight “shall be restored only after the airline has taken all the necessary punitive action against those responsible for that violation,” Sunil Kumar, Deputy Director-General, DGCA, said in the order.
Aircraft rules permit photography at the airport or inside a flight with due permission. However, it doesn’t authorize any official to issue such permissions if the aircraft is landing, taking off or on the ground at a defence aerodrome.
“In spite of these regulations, it has been noted that at times, the Airlines have filed to follow these stipulations primarily because of lack of diligence on their part,” the order said.
It added, “Needless to say that such deviations result in a compromise in maintaining the highest standards of safety and therefore, is not to be allowed.”
