Airlines staff could face penalty for misbehaviour, too

Badly-behaved flight crew members will be held to the same standards as passengers, according to a suggestion that the government is considering before finalising rules for the country's first 'no fly list'.

Under current rules, passengers can complain about misbehaviour by cabin crew to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) or the police, depending upon the degree of misbehaviour. DGCA/ police conducts an investigation into the complaint and then decides if any action is to be taken.

Recently, the civil aviation ministry had come out with draft regulations on the issue and had posted those in the public domain for suggestions and feedback. The Ministry had announced that it would come out final rules on the issue before June 30.

The no-fly list will be maintained by the safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). According to the draft regulation, unruly behaviour by a passenger on a flight or even with airline staff on ground can result in his/her ban on flying for anywhere from three months to a lifetime.

A senior official in the ministry involved in the process said the government has got a lot of responses from stakeholders, including airlines, airline operators, and fliers. The official, who did not wish to be named, said that a lot of people have suggested that there should be some penalty forthe airline staff if they misbehave with passengers.

"Many people who have written to us feel that the regulation is tilted too much in favour of the airlines. They feel DGCA should also be upfront about what it would do if it finds that a crew member had misbehaved with a passenger," the official said.