On Thursday, Gaikwad had repeatedly hit a 60-year-old Air India officer with sandal over being unable to travel business class in an all-economy flight.
State carrier Air India along with other private airlines on Friday banned Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad from flying on their aircraft, a day after he assaulted an Air India staffer.
The domestic airlines' body Federation of India Airlines (FIA) has taken a "strong view" of the incident and accordingly taken a decision to bar the MP from flying on their network, FIA sources said.
Naresh Goyal-owned Jet Airways and three budget carriers -- IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir -- are the members of FIA.
Budget carrier IndiGo has said it will support any move which bars unruly passengers from flying, a day after Air India said it was mulling preparing a no-fly list for such people. "We will support a no-fly list," IndiGo President and Whole Time Director Aditya Ghosh told PTI.
Spicejet also voiced its support to a no-fly list to bar unruly flyers who are a safety hazard for not just the crew, but even the traveling public. "The government needs to act on this soon. An attack on our employees and crew is an attack on us and we strongly condemn such incidents," said SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh.
Vistara airlines has also supported AI and FIA. "Disruptive and abusive behaviour by passengers is a serious issue and cannot be tolerated, both for safety and security reasons in a critical and sensitive industry such as aviation, as well for the safety and well-being of our staff and all other passengers. We support the statement made by Air India and the FIA, and are in full solidarity with them in support of the ban. The concerned individual will be barred from flying on any of our flights with immediate effect," a Vistara spokesperson said. "We also fully support the promulgation of a "no fly" list and concur with the FIA and Air India in seeking the support of the Government and security agencies to enforce such a directive whereby passengers on the “no fly list” will not be permitted to fly on any of the airlines," the statement read.
In its statement, an AirAsia India spokesperson told PTI said the airline does not tolerate abusive or unruly behavior by passengers that puts the safety of other guests and crew members on board at risk.
"We will support any decision taken by the industry with regard to the recent incident involving an Air India staff," the spokesperson added.
The shocking incident took place inside Air India's Pune- Delhi flight AI 852, when the aircraft landed in Delhi, and Gaikwad refused to disembark despite attempts of persuading him to do so. An Air India official also tried to pacify the MP, who vociferously complained about the morning flight to Delhi from Pune, not having business class. The MP, who was unapologetic about his actions, even boasting about it on national TV, claimed it was the officer's threat to complain about it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that made him lose his cool.
"I first asked him to lower his voice as his blood pressure would shoot up. He then said he would complain to Modi. Then I slapped him. I hit him 25 times with my sandal. I am Shiv Sena MP, not of BJP, to tolerate abuses," he said. Gaikwad, bragging about the incident, said,"I was about to throw him off the plane." He boastfully claimed he held up the plane for "full one hour" and did not allow the maintenance staff to clean the aircraft.
In this shocking footage, it is seen that individuals had to restrain the Shiv Sena MP who almost throws the officer off the plane!
On Thursday, Gaikwad wrote a letter to Civil Aviation Minsiter Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, while listing out the problems faced by him in the flight. Gaikwad in his letter said that he was misled by the Air India and stated that he was given business class ticket, but later he came to know that there was no business class section in the flight.
Listing his problems, the Shiv Sena MP asked the Aviation Minister and the Speaker to probe the matter and to find the reason behind these issues highlighted by him. Meanwhile, Air India registered two FIRs against Gaikwad for hitting an Air India staffer with his slipper over sitting issue and for forcibly holding the flight and delaying it for 40 minutes.
(With agency inputs)
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