No-fly list: New draft rule for airlines announced; 2-year suspension for life threatening behaviour

New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Friday released its draft rules for a national no-fly list for unruly passengers travelling by domestic airlines which will include suspension for offences..

This is for the first time in the history of civil aviation that a no-fly list is being proposed to address the issues pertaining to civil aviation safety.

It comes in the wake of an incident involving Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad who assaulted an Air India staffer following which he was banned by the carrier and subsequently by all national airlines. The ban was later revoked.

The rules divide unruly behaviour into three categories and recommend a flying bans of 3 months, 6 months and two years or more, without limit.

According to the Aviation Ministry, the offences have been categorized in three levels - Level one constitutes disruptive behaviour like physical gestures.

Level two will include physically abusive behavior like pushing, kicking, and sexual harassment.

Level three will include murderous assault or life threatening behavior and damage to the aircraft operating systems.

The draft will give about a month for the public to comment. The aviation ministry will then take some time to study them and come out with the final CAR.

As per the IATA, in 2015, there were 10,854 reported cases of unruly behaviour by the passengers across airlines worldwide, which translate into one incident for every 1,205 flights.

Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey made some key announcements regarding the draft rules:

•     Airline can ban the passenger from flying immediately but the passenger won’t come on national no-fly list immediately.
•     Punishment of suspension for unruly behavior applies to domestic carriers, if international carriers want this input, they can use.
•     This is the corresponding suspension of for unruly behavior
•     Punishment for unruly behavior will be divided into 3 categories
•     1st category is 3 months
•     2nd category is 6 months
•     3rd category is 2 years or more
•     Level 2 will be physically abusive behavior like pushing, kicking, sexual harassment etc
•     Level 3 for life threatening behaviour

With Agency Inputs