New Delhi, March 17:
In a first, four flyers were handed to cops after they refused to wear face masks onboard a Jammu-Delhi alliance flight on Wednesday. This is the first case of booking passengers for not adhering to COVID-19 norms and protocols set by the government.
According to a report by the Times of India, all four flyers have been handed over to security agencies in Delhi on arrival. The airline has booked the passengers under ‘unruly’ flyer rules, which can also lead to a ban on their flying on Alliance airlines for some time.
The report further stated that the four passengers refused to wear a face mask despite repeated requests from the cabin crew and pilots of the 9I-614 Jammu-Delhi flight.
“Four passengers who were seated on 14B, 14C, 15C and 15D were not wearing their masks on this flight. Repeated instructions were made by the crew including the pilot in command (Captain Vikas Tomer) through public announcement system. They were not following the Covid-19 related protocols despite the repeated instructions,” Times of India quoted airline officials as saying.
“These four passengers were treated as unruly passengers (as per DGCA rules) and all the recommended procedures were followed by the crew. All the four unruly passengers were handed over to security agencies on arrival at Delhi airport,” they added.
Tightening its coronavirus norms, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently announced that passengers will be deboarded from an aircraft if they are not wearing masks properly or are not following appropriate COVID behaviour.
In its guidelines, the DCGA said that passengers won’t be allowed to move their masks below the nose except under “exceptional” situations, adding that security personnel deployed at the airports should ensure that travellers are following COVID-19 norms.
