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Latecomer VIPs delay flight

Passengers deplaned to make space for Rijiju, J&K Dy CM; govt apologises
Last Updated 02 July 2015, 20:27 IST

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Nirmal Singh were caught in a controversy on Thursday following reports that an Air India flight was delayed due to their late arrival.

Some fliers, including a senior official, were offloaded to accommodate them.

The Air Traffic Controller of Leh confirmed that on June 24, flight AI 446 to Delhi was delayed to accommodate the Union minister, says a report by the Indian Air Force that runs the 21 Wing ATC at Leh.

The Prime Minister’s Office has asked the Ministry of Civil Aviation for a report on delay in Air India flights on account of VIP travels in the recent past. The Civil Aviation Ministry, in turn, has sought a report from Air India on the two incidents at Leh and Mumbai.

The Mumbai incident involves a US-bound delegation of the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis earlier this week.

The Leh-Delhi flight was to depart at 11:20 am, but the schedule was later revised to 10:20 am as it reached early. The flight was held for almost 50 minutes.

It finally took off at 11:12 am after at least three passengers, including an Indian Foreign Service officer, were not permitted to fly.

Because of the rarefied atmosphere, flights from Leh maintain a permissible weight limit as overloaded flights cannot take off due to low air pressure. While the VIPs are now accused of getting preference at the cost of ordinary traveller, the IAF probe report suggested the officer, his wife and son were not allowed to board because they came late. They were relative of a senior IAF officer posted in Leh.

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Rijiju apologised for the incident. But Singh turned the table on the airline. The ministers were attending the Sindhu Darshan festival at Leh. Singh said he reached Leh at 6:30 am and booked the return ticket for the 11:20 am flight. He was given a boarding pass with a boarding time 10:45 am printed on it.

At 9:53 am when he was performing rituals on the banks of Sindhu, he received a message from Air India that the flight reached early and was ready to depart.

The state minister said though the change in time was distasteful, he asked the organiser to round up the ceremony in the next 15-20 minutes so that he and his staff can rush to the airport, which is 20-25 minutes away from the venue.

“I reached there at 10:48 am but was told that the pilot has closed the doors. Two more families were denied boarding,” Singh said in his complaint to Raju.

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(Published 02 July 2015, 20:27 IST)

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