Fly right or file complaint

NAGPUR: Are you a frequent flier? Are you irked by delays, denied boarding or experienced cancellation of flights without notice or explanation by your air operator?

Well, unless an unforeseen snag props up, you may soon have access to redressal that would give you powers to invoke your right to pull up the carrier. The Air Passengers Association of India (APAI), the only voluntary body for air passengers in the domestic circuit, has prepared a draft Civil Aviation (Rights of Air Passengers) Regulation that will be taken up with the Centre soon.

“Following a spurt in domestic air carriers, it has been noticed that air passengers routinely face a number of hardships due to delayed flights, loss of baggage, denial of boarding even after confirmed reservation due to over-bookings etc. Hence it is necessary to introduce regulations to govern the rights of passengers,” APAI Founder and President, D Sudhakara Reddy said.

Reddy informed that the draft regulations took shape in consultation with several of the APAI members, eminent lawyers of the country and civil aviation experts.

“The passenger rights in the draft are relevant to the Indian aviation scenario. We want the government to accept our proposal and pass it in the larger interests of air passengers,” Vipul Gupta, the Regional Vice President (Central) of APAI, said.

Reddy said that the APAI would take up the matter with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi in the last week of March, with a request to get it passed by the cabinet and ratified by the Parliament.