Passengers put on no-fly list for not wearing mask

Four passengers on an Alliance Air jet travelling from Jammu to Delhi were declared "unruly" after they refused to wear masks despite repeated requests from the cabin crew and pilots.

New Delhi: Air India's regional arm Alliance Air on Tuesday booked four passengers for not adhering to COVID-19 norms on board and put them on the "no-fly list."

According to the sources, the four passengers travelling from Jammu to Delhi were declared "unruly" after they refused to wear masks despite repeated requests from the cabin crew and pilots.

Soon after the flight landed at Delhi Airport, the four passengers were handed over to the security agencies, added sources.

Notably, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday directed the Airlines to provide a digitized copy of its circular issued on March 13, which states that passengers who do not wear masks properly even after repeated warnings could be deboarded before departure.

"In case, any passenger onboard an aircraft refuses to wear a mask or violates the "COVID-19 Protocol for passengers" even after repeated warnings, during the course of the flight, such passenger may be treated as "Unruly Passenger" as defined in para 3.1 of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section 3 Series M Part VI (dated 8th September 2017)," the DGCA had said in a letter to AAI, CISF and airline operators.

The CAR defines three categories of unruly behaviour:

Level 1:Unruly verbal behaviour under which a passenger found guilty can be banned for flying for up to 3 months.

Level 2: The offences will relate to physical behaviour and a passenger can be banned for up to six months.

Level 3:If a passenger's behaviour is considered life-threatening then he or she can be banned for up to two years or more.

In a statement to ETV Bharat, Alliance Air said, "Passengers safety is Alliance Air's top priority. This adherence is for their own, fellow passengers and their families safety. The airline caters to passengers and their families safety."

"Alliance Air briefs passengers at every touchpoint and makes regular in-flight announcements. However, on constant request, when the passengers do not adhere to the laid-down guidelines and pose threat to other fellow passengers, we apprised the concerned authorities," the airline added.