Unruly, delaying Air India flights? Pay Rs 15 lakhs

New Delhi: In the wake of the Ravindra Gaikwad episode, Air India is planning to impose steep fines of upto Rs 15 lakhs on unruly passengers who delay flights. According to an official proposal mooted within the airline, passengers who delay flights upto one hour will be fined Rs 5 lakhs, while those who delay it between one to two hours will be fined Rs 10 lakhs, and those delaying it beyond two hours will be fined Rs 15 lakhs. Sources said the proposal is now being examined by the airline’s legal department before any 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 the past 18 months, two of which 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 allegedly assaulting an airline official at Tirupati in November 2015 has also been referred to. The recent case of a woman Trinamul Congress 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” that will lay down rules to deal with unruly passengers and stipulate under what circumstances unruly passengers can subsequently be banned from flying. The government is, however, likely to take wide feedback and legal opinion before issuing any such order.