Passengers eating on tarmac: IndiGo slapped Rs 1.20 crore fine, Rs 60 lakh penalty on Mumbai airport

According to the two aviation regulators, IndiGo allowed deplaning of passengers from the diverted flight—6E 2195—on to the apron and then boarded them on to another flight—6E 2091—without following the procedure of security screening, which is in violation of regulations.

Upon landing, the passengers were allegedly allowed to disembark on the tarmac and even served refreshments there, something that is in contravention of the regulations.

Aviation security regulator Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) Wednesday slapped penalties totalling Rs 1.80 crore on IndiGo and Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) over the recent incident of passengers having food on the tarmac besides an aircraft at the Mumbai airport. IndiGo was fined a total of Rs 1.20 crore for various violations, while Mumbai airport operator MIAL was fined Rs 60 lakh by BCAS. Additionally, aviation safety watchdog—the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)—imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on MIAL for safety-related violations in the same incident.

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 pertains 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 in contravention of the regulations.

According to the two aviation regulators, IndiGo allowed deplaning of passengers from the diverted flight—6E 2195—on to the apron and then boarded them on to another flight—6E 2091—without following the procedure of security screening, which is in violation of regulations.

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After the video surfaced on social media platforms on Monday, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is learnt to have convened a midnight meeting with MoCA officials. Following the meeting, notices were issued to the airline and the airport operator early Tuesday. Based on the replies filed by IndiGo and MIAL, BCAS and the DGCA 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 before deciding on the penalty.

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Air India, SpiceJet fined for rostering lapses

The DGCA also imposed fines of Rs 30 lakh each on Air India and SpiceJet for failure to comply with directives on rostering of pilots for flight operations in low visibility conditions. The aviation safety regulator had issued show cause notices to the two carriers for not deploying pilots trained to operate in low visibility conditions for some flights to Delhi late December. Numerous flights had to be diverted to other airports due to dense fog at the Delhi airport in the last week of December.

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.

passengers of IndiGo Goa-Delhi who after 12 hours delayed flight got diverted to Mumbai having dinner just next to indigo plane pic.twitter.com/jGL3N82LNS

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As for MIAL, the BCAS order states that the airport operator failed to report the incident, did not make alternate arrangement for surveillance of apron and runway where security cameras were inoperative, and failed to implement “committed” security control measures as per the airport’s approved security programme. BCAS also said that MIAL “submitted false statement about deployment of security officers” to cordon the tarmac area that had passengers.

The BCAS inferred that both IndiGo and MIAL were not proactive in anticipating the situation and making the appropriate facilitation arrangements for passengers at the airport. The DGCA said that it found MIAL in violation of safety regulations as passengers were on an active apron for a considerable period of time. According to safety regulations, passengers are not allowed to walk on an active apron.

Sukalp Sharma

Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More

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