AIR INDIA FINED Rs 10L FOR NOT COMPENSATING PASSENGERS DENIED BOARDING :DGCA

(The Quiver) : On Tuesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a fine amount of Rs 10 lakh on Air India for denying boarding to passengers with valid tickets and then failing to provide them with mandatory compensation. Earlier, DGCA imposed fines on other Indian airlines like Indigo Spicejet.

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 Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Arun Kumar said in a statement.

Kumar also said , “the airline has been told to immediately put the systems in place to resolve the issue failing which, further action will be taken by DGCA”.

According to DGCA’s Civil aviation requirements notified in 2016, an airline is not required to pay any compensation to passengers if an alternative flight is arranged within an hour of the scheduled departure.

In case the airline arranges for an alternative flight within 24 hours of denial of boarding, it must pay 200% of the booked one-way basic fare plus airline fuel charge subject to a maximum of Rs 10,000.

If the alternative flight is scheduled to leave more than 24 hours after the scheduled departure of the original flight, the airline is liable to pay 400% of the booked one-way basic fare plus airline fuel charge subject to a Rs20,000 cap.

‘Our stipulations on the subject are in sync with FAA (US regulator Federal Aviation Administration) and EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) and similar regulations are followed globally to accord appropriate respect to passenger rights,” Kumar added.