NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has fined Air India Rs 10 lakh after finding that the airline was violating rules for denying boarding – like denying compensation – to passengers holding confirmed tickets and who report to airports well in time for their flights.
DGCA head Arun Kumar had recently warned airlines against not following regulations in this regard and ordered surprise checks across airports in the last few weeks.
“During our surveillance at Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi, specific instances (were detected) where Air India (was not following) the regulation. A showcause notice was issued to AI and a personal hearing given. It appears the airline doesn’t have a policy in this regard and is not paying any compensation to hapless passengers,” a DGCA statement said.
“It is a matter of serious concern and is unacceptable. After going through AI submissions, the authority has fined Rs 10 Lakh. The airline has also been advised to put the systems in place to resolve the issue, failing which further action shall be taken,” the statement further stated.
DGCA had in 2010 put in place penalties that airlines are required to pay passengers in cases of wrong denial of boarding, sudden flight cancellation and long delays. In case of overbooking, airlines are first supposed to seek volunteers who may be okay with going on subsequent flights. (Times of India)
