Sky-high fines up to Rs 15L for delaying AI flights

After three different cases of Members of Parliament (MPs) delaying Air India aircraft in the past couple of years due to their unruly behaviour, the national carrier has now taken a tough stand in this regard. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the airline has decided to ‘symbolically’ levy a fine of Rs 5 lakh on passengers who delay a flight for up to one hour. Similarly, people who delay a flight for one to two hours will be fined Rs 10 lakh, while those who delay a flight for more than two hours will be fined Rs 15 lakh.

“Even roadside hotels have a board that reads, ‘Rights of admission reserved’. Air India must therefore have a procedure for handling such unruly passengers,” said an internal communication circulated among the airline’s employees, which was accessed by DNA Money. “Further, it is seen from the above incidents that unruly behaviour does not require any provocation,” the communication added.

Air India insiders said that the three cases referred to of VIPs causing delays to an aircraft include the one involving Ravindra Gaikwad, a Shiv Sena MP who delayed flight AI-156 (Delhi-Goa) by approximately 90 minutes on March 23.  

The International Air Transport Association, an airline trade body, had said in a report that 49,084 incidents of unruly passengers were reported across the world between 2007 and 2015.

Plus, 40 per cent of all airlines had diverted a flight in the past 12 months due to an unruly passenger.