The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) issued show cause letters to IndiGo airline and Mumbai Airport on Tuesday after a video showing customers sitting and consuming food on the tarmac during aircraft delays became a hit on social media.
According to the Ministry, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia met with ministry officials following the event and issued warnings to the airline and Mumbai International Airport Limited.
According to the complaints, “both Indigo and MIAL were not proactive in anticipating the situation and making the appropriate facilitation arrangements for passengers at the airport”.
The notices were issued after many travellers were observed sprinting out of an IndiGo aircraft at the Mumbai airport, sitting on the runway, and even eating food after their diverted Goa-Delhi flight arrived following a lengthy delay on January 14.
The ministry also pointed out that “the aircraft was allotted a remote bay C-33 (instead of a Contact Stand – an aircraft parking stand that is suitable for walking passengers to and from an aircraft from an allocated boarding gate), which further added to passenger woes and deprived them the opportunity to avail basic facilities like restrooms and refreshments at the terminal”.
“As a result, the tired and harassed passengers had an unpleasant, unacceptable experience.” The flying operation was planned and carried out without regard for passenger comfort, established security standards, or operational concerns,” it noted.
The MoCA has requested IndiGo and the airport authorities to respond to the notifications by today, January 16.
“If replies are not received in the given time then enforcement action including financial penalty will be initiated,” the statement read.
Notice To IndiGo
As per the Ministry, the notice to IndiGo has been issued for the violation of Rule 51 of the Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023, Aviation Security Order 02/2019 and order dated September 21, 2021, regarding failure to observe due aviation security procedures in respect of Flight no. 6E 2195 which landed at Mumbai airport at 11:21 pm on January 14 as a diversion case.
The notice said that Indigo allowed the disembarkation of passengers from flight 6E 2195 onto the apron and then boarded them on to flight 6E 2091 on January 15 at Mumbai airport, without following the procedure of security screening, which violates the above-mentioned orders.
Furthermore, the aircraft operator failed to notify the event to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), resulting in a breach of Rule 51 of the Aircraft (Security) Rules 2023.
Following the notification, the airline released a press statement stating, “IndiGo has already initiated an internal inquiry to address the issue and will respond to the notice as per protocol.”
Notice issued to the Mumbai Airport
The show-cause notice was given to Mumbai Airport for violating Rule 51 of the Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023, which is about failing to notify an incident in relation to Flight no. 6E 2195, which landed at Mumbai Airport. The Mumbai ASG was likewise unaware of the issue, according to the Ministry.
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