According to an order issued by the Director General of Aviation Safety Regulators, Civil Aviation (DGCA) forbade passengers to wear masks or follow social distancing norms during the flight despite repeated warnings.
The DGCA has also stated that if a passenger refuses to follow the instructions before taking flight, it should be removed.
“If any passenger in the aircraft refuses to wear a mask or violates the COVID-19 protocol for passengers even after repeated warnings during the flight, such a passenger may be considered an ‘unregistered passenger’ and The procedure in relation to the same is stated in the DGCA circular issued on 13 March that handling such unregistered passenger provided in CAR will be followed by the airline concerned.
Civil aviation requirements on unregistered passengers provide for putting an offender on a no-fly list for varying periods – three months for verbal abuse, six months for physical assault and two years for life-threatening behavior. Or more.
A senior DGCA official said, “To look into the incident, an internal committee constituted by an airline will decide which category the offense falls into.”
If a passenger is found to be in violation of the protocol before taking flight, the DGCA order requires that airport personnel hand them over to security personnel after adequate warning.
The move follows a Delhi High Court order that passengers without masks be put on a no-fly list after seeing the judge’s indifferent attitude towards passengers, while he airs from Kolkata to Delhi earlier this month. Was on a flight to India.
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