Ministry seeks Deccan reply on extra passengers

The Civil Aviation ministry has sought an explanation from low cost carrier Air Deccan for carrying more than the stipulated number of passengers on board one of its flights.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha today, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel stated that Air Deccan operated flight number DN-727 between Patna and New Delhi with 188 passengers on board, which was eight more than the capacity of an A-320 aircraft.

Patel8217;s response was to a query made by Abdul Rashid Shaheen in which he had asked whether a private airline had tried to adjust six adults by asking parents to carry children on their laps.