New Delhi: After a video clip of passengers eating on the tarmac at Mumbai Airport went viral Monday, the Union government has issued show-cause notices to IndiGo and the airport for failure to observe aviation security procedures.
An official source said Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held a meeting with ministry (MoCA) officials at midnight, and in the early hours Tuesday, MoCA’s Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) issued show-cause notices to Indigo and Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL).
Both companies need to submit their replies by Tuesday, and a failure may lead to enforcement action, including financial penalty.
“…both Indigo and MIAL were not proactive in anticipating the situation and making the appropriate facilitation arrangements for passengers at the airport,” the notice reads, according to the source.
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“…(For instance), the aircraft was allotted a remote bay C-33 (instead of a Contact Stand, which is an aircraft parking stand that is suitable for walking passengers to and from an aircraft from an allocated boarding gate)… This further added to passengers’ woes and deprived them the opportunity to avail basic facilities like rest rooms and refreshments at the terminal,” the source said.
This resulted in “an unfavourable and an unacceptable experience” for the tired and harassed passengers. The flight operation was planned and executed without taking into account passenger convenience, laid-down security norms and operational issues, the official added.
On Monday, a viral video on social media showed many passengers sitting on the tarmac, and some were also seen eating there as soon as their flight landed after a long delay. The flight that took off from Goa could not land at Delhi airport due to dense fog, and was diverted to Mumbai Sunday.
The official explained that the airline had been issued a show-cause notice for the violation of Rule 51 of the Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023, regarding failure to observe due aviation security procedures.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)