Aviation security regulator Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) on Wednesday slapped penalties totalling Rs1.80 crore ($290,000) on IndiGo and Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) over the recent incident of passengers having food on the tarmac beside an aircraft at the Mumbai airport.
The airline was fined a total of Rs1.20 crore for various violations, while MIAL was fined Rs60 lakh.
Additionally, aviation safety watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a fine of Rs30 lakh ($48,500) on MIAL for safety-related violations.
On Tuesday, BCAS had issued show cause notices to the airline and MIAL after a video of passengers sitting on the tarmac and having food there went viral on social media platforms.
The incident was connected to an IndiGo Goa-Delhi flight on Sunday which was diverted to Mumbai due to massive fog-related disruptions at the Delhi airport.
Upon landing, the passengers were allegedly allowed to disembark on the tarmac and even served refreshments there, something that is against regulations.
According to the two aviation regulators, IndiGo also put the passengers on another flight straight from the tarmac without following the procedure of security screening.
After the video surfaced on social media platforms on Monday, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia reportedly convened a meeting with officials, following which notices were issued to the airline and the airport operator on Tuesday.
Based on the replies filed by IndiGo and MIAL, the regulators decided to impose hefty fines.
Apart from submissions made by IndiGo and MIAL, the BCAS also examined other evidence related to the incident, including footage from security cameras.
According to the penalty order issued against IndiGo, the aviation security regulator found that the airline failed to report the incident to BCAS, did not ensure security screening of passengers and their cabin baggage before making them board another flight, and failed to deploy security staff in required numbers and respond to the situation in a “responsible and efficient manner”, among others.
The BCAS inferred that both IndiGo and MIAL were not proactive in anticipating the situation and making the appropriate facilitation arrangements for passengers.
The DGCA said it found MIAL in violation of safety regulations as passengers were on an active apron for a considerable period of time. An airport apron refers to the area of an airport where aircraft are parked, refuelled and serviced. According to safety regulations, passengers are not allowed to walk on an active apron.
The DGCA also imposed fines of Rs30 lakh each on Air India and SpiceJet for failure to comply with directives on rostering of pilots for flight operations in low visibility conditions.
Indo-Asian News Service
