India’s No-Fly List – Rules For All Passengers!
In March 2017 an unfortunate incident occurred where a government official had physically manhandled an elderly Air India employee and hit him with his slipper “25 times” over not being given a business class seat in an all-economy plane.
Huge media coverage of this incident and a public outcry against the official prompted the ministry of civil aviation to draft India’s first ‘No Fly List’ and amend the rules or Civil Aviation Requirement(CAR) on handling unruly passengers in September last year.
To keep both passenger angst and air rage in check, preventive measures such as ‘No-Fly’ lists or bans have been enforced all around the world by governments and airlines combined.
With the recent incident of a man being put on the no-fly list by Air Vistara due to indecent behaviour, we at AirWhizz want you to know your rights as a passenger and be aware of the rules and regulation surrounding the ‘NO-Fly List’ in India.
WHAT IS A NO-FLY LIST?
Before we get into the rules and regulations set by the government and airlines, let us explain to you what exactly a ‘No-Fly List’ is.
A No-Fly List is created and maintained by the governing body of aviation in the country. The list contains names of people who are prohibited from boarding commercial aircraft for travel within, into, or out of the country.
In India, the No-Fly Lists contains two types of individuals-
- Unruly passengers banned for a certain period based on examination of the case by the internal committee
- Those individuals perceived to be a national security risk by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
WHAT ARE THE RULES SET BY THE DGCA?
In India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) is responsible for managing this list in collaboration with airlines. Unruly behaviour has been categorised under 3 levels according to the regulations of DGCA –
Level1 (Unruly Verbal Behaviour)
A passenger found guilty of performing activities under Level1 could be banned from flying for up to three months.
Level2 (Unruly Physical Behaviour)
Offences related to physical behaviour come under Level2 and the offender could face a ban of up to six months.
Level3 (Life Threatening Behaviour)
Incidences where a passenger’s behaviour is considered life-threatening, like affecting the safety of the aircraft, come under level3. The offender will be banned for up to two years or more.
Repeat Offender
In case a passenger is a repeat offender, the duration of the flying ban will be twice that of his previous ban.
As far as making the No-Fly List is concerned, the responsibility will lie with the airlines. However, a passenger banned by one airline may travel on another carrier if allowed by the latter. The No-Fly ban is an additional penalty given, other than the punishment given to the offender under existing statutory laws.
The list of unruly passengers is provided by the airlines to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and is available on the website of the airline and DGCA.
India is the first country in the world to have a no-fly list that is based on safety and not just security.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The rules are implemented by all Indian airlines engaged in scheduled and non-scheduled air transport services for passengers travelling internationally and domestically.
Here’s how the process of filing a complaint is carried out-
- The complaint of unruly behaviour is filed by the pilot-in-command.
- These complaints are probed by an internal committee set up by the airline.
- The internal committee must solve the matter within 30 days and specify the duration of the ban on the unruly passenger, failing which the passenger will be allowed to travel.
- During the period of the enquiry, the concerned airline has the option impose a ban on the said passenger.
- There are provisions for the passenger under question to appeal against the ban. He /she may appeal within 60 days from the date of issue of order to the Internal Committee.
The internal committee is made up of a retired District & Sessions Judge as Chairman and representatives from a different scheduled airline, passengers’ association, consumer association and a retired officer of Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum.
With technology advancements happening in the world of aviation, the governments “Digi Yatra” initiative, which sees biometric scanners and security systems linked to the passenger’s identification documents, will help airlines keep a track of people on this list efficiently and will help in ensuring on-board safety while maintaining an element of balance and safeguarding the interest of passengers, cabin crew and the airlines in the future.
If you want to know more about rules and regulations set by your airline, simply Download the AirWhizz App and read all about airline policies and information within the app.
Have a safe trip and fly stress-free!
