Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has slapped a fine of Rs10 lakhs on Air India for not allowing passengers on board even when they had perfectly valid tickets and then not providing any compensation to them. The DGCA has also ordered Air India to make the necessary changes to its guidelines so that such incidents do not occur again. The regulator said that the airline might face further action if it fails to make the changes.
“After that, a series of checks were carried out by DGCA, and during our surveillance at Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi, there were specific instances, in the case of Air India – where the regulation (regarding compensation to passengers) is not being followed and therefore, a show-cause notice was issued to the airline and also a personal hearing was afforded,” the aviation regulatory body said in a statement.
The regulator also said it is likely that Air India does not have a policy regarding this and does not pay compensation in such cases. However, DGCA said that this is a serious concern and must be addressed as soon as possible. “To say the least, it is a matter of serious concern and unacceptable. In the specific cases detailed in the show cause notice, after going through AI submissions, as part of enforcement action, the competent authority has levied a penalty of Rs10 lakh,” it noted.
