DGCA told to tackle rowdy flyers

New Delhi: Habitual rowdy flyers will do well to make a new year resolve in 2010 to spruce up their etiquette on board aircraft. Following an alarming increase in midair spats among passengers or between crew members and fliers, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has asked Indian aviation authorities to levy stiff penalties on unruly passengers. The idea: put in place strong deterrence against onboard behaviour, which could be detrimental to aircraft safety.
‘‘Apart from ICAO, some Indian carriers have also approached the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to put in place strong rules for unruly passengers. We have started work on that and hope to have the same in place soon,’’ said a senior DGCA official. In fact, there are international air safety requirements that make it imperative for countries to enact such rules.
At present, if there’s some incident on an aircraft like passengers fighting among themselves or with crew, the airline hands over the warring factions to the CISF at airports on landing. The CISF then hands them over to the local police where the normal — read lenient — laws for the brawl alone apply and the passengers usually go scot-free.
‘‘Unruly behaviour on an aircraft can endanger its safety and the lives of all on board. So it’s wrong to have the same punishment for a fight between two individuals on ground as for a spat 35,000 feet above ground level. We will come out with effective deterrents soon,’’ said an official.
02/01/10 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Jan 2010