DGCA Placed 63 Passengers on 'No Fly List' in 2022, Most for Not Wearing Mask

The majority of passengers placed in the "No Fly List" were for violation related to not wearing a mask or not obeying the instructions of crew members, reports IANS.

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A total of 63 passengers have been placed on the "No Fly List" in the past year due to disruptive behaviour. These comprise two instances of urinating that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has been aware of (DGCA). On the advice of the airlines, the duration of the passenger ban has been determined. Furthermore, according to government statistics, there have been more incidences of rowdy behaviour on flights in the past year.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation, V.K. Singh in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Monday said: "In last one year, a total of 63 passengers have been placed in the "No Fly List" for such period, as recommended by the airline`s Internal Committee, constituted in accordance with Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), Section 3 -- Air Transport, Series M, and Part VI titled "Handling of unruly/disruptive passengers."

In reply to another query, the Ministry informed that there are 143 passengers who have been placed in the `No Fly List` since 2017 for a period as per the recommendations of the respective Internal Committee constituted by the airline.

As per the provision mentioned in CAR, a `No Fly List` is maintained by DGCA containing specific information related to the passenger involved, contact details of identification documents, date of occurrence, sector, flight number, period of imposition of ban etc.

The majority of passengers placed on the "No Fly List" were for a violation related to not wearing a mask or not obeying the instructions of crew members, said the reply by the Ministry.

The reply informed that as regarding specific incidents related to urination, the action was taken by DGCA for non-compliance to applicable regulations.

For an incident on AI-102 flight, New York to New Delhi, dated November 26, 2022, a financial penalty of Rs 30,00,000 has been imposed on Air India. A financial penalty of Rs 3,00,000 has been imposed on the Director of Flight services of Air India and the license of pilot in command suspended for three months.

For the incident in flight AI-142, Paris to New Delhi dated December 6, 2022, a financial penalty of Rs 10,00,000 has been imposed by the DGCA on Air India, said the reply.

With IANS Inputs