No Fly List Same Offence Different Yardsticks

The GOVT. amended Civil Aviation Rules (CAR) on “handling of unruly passengers”on dated 08.09.2017which come into effect immediately.The rules apply for domestic, international, scheduled and non-scheduled (chartered) air transport services, all Indian airports as well as passengers flying into and over India.International airlines will have to conform to these rules as per the Tokyo Convention, 1963.

The no-fly list will be compiled by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)based on inputs from various airlines. It will maintain the record of all blacklisted passengers.

However, there is no such law to punish the Airlines for the same offence towards the passengers. The Govt. is quiet on the incidents involving the incidents of assualts on the pasengers in such cases leaving the passengers to file criminal complaints on their own and fight for justice. The Airlines wash their hands off such incidents by suspending the employees and closing the chapter from their side.

The rule of equity says that the Airlines should also be barred from flying for specified periods for unruly behaviour of their staff towards the passengers. The avaiation ministry is playing in the hands of the Airlines as the Politicians need their services quiet often and hence the Airlines always get the carrot from them and the common man suffers.

Once again it shows that there is no equality in actuality and the ‘haves and have nots’ have a vast divide between them.