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Govt says crew, passengers' safety vital, unruly behaviour unacceptable

Last Updated 24 March 2017, 19:37 IST

The government on Friday said the safety of fliers and cabin crew is a top priority and unruly behaviour will not be tolerated.

The statement came after the assault on an airline manager by a Shiv Sena MP snowballed into a controversy.

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said law will take its course and one has to ensure that such “regrettable incidents” are never repeated.

“It was an unfortunate incident. It should never have happened. What has to happen (now), will happen. I am not saying no action has to be taken. Action has to be taken and we will do it. That is not the problem at all. I am also an MP. We are not above the law and we have to follow the law of the land,” he told reporters outside the Parliament House.

Raju said his ministry is also working on creating institutional mechanisms to check undesirable flight behaviour and unruly passengers.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said people expect dignified conduct from MPs.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said unruly passengers will be dealt with. “After all, when you are flying at 30,000 feet, you are in a very fragile environment. Under those circumstances, it is very important to ensure that the behaviour by all parties is appropriate. We take all such situations very seriously. Every such incident is investigated and then the law takes its own course,” he said.

Airlines supported a no-fly list to bar unruly fliers who are a safety hazard for not just the crew but also the passengers.

SpiceJet said the government needs to act on the list soon.

“An attack on our employees and crew is an attack on us and we strongly condemn such incidents,” the airline said in a statement.

IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh said his airline would support a no-fly list, PTI reported.
Vistara spokesperson said disruptive and abusive behaviour by passengers is a serious issue and cannot be tolerated, both for safety and security reasons in a critical and sensitive industry such as aviation, as well for the safety and well-being of staff and passengers.

“We also fully support the promulgation of a no fly-list and concur with the Federation of Indian Airlines and Air India in seeking the support of the government and security agencies to enforce such a directive, whereby passengers on the no-fly list will not be permitted to fly on any of the airlines,” the spokesperson said.

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(Published 24 March 2017, 19:37 IST)

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