A senior army officer who allegedly assaulted SpiceJet staff at Srinagar airport has been placed on the airline’s no-fly list for five years, two officials close to the development confirmed on Monday.
The incident took place on July 26, at the boarding gate of flight SG 386 from Srinagar to Delhi.
“The passenger who hit the airline staff has been declared as unruly and it has been decided to put him in the airline’s No Fly List. As per norms, he will not be able to fly in any of the SpiceJet domestic or international flights for five years,” one of the officials said, requesting anonymity.
A second official added that the decision was made by an internal committee set up under the Civil Aviation Rules (CAR), which recommended imposing the ban on the passenger. This committee included three independent people - two retired judges and one representative of another airline.
The rules allow aggrieved passengers to appeal within 60 days to an appellate committee headed by a retired high court judge. The panel also has representatives of passengers association/consumer association/retired officer of Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum and other airlines as members.
“The decision was taken by the committee formed, as per civil aviation rules (CAR), after which the airline has been directed to ban the passenger,” the official added.
{{/usCountry}}“The decision was taken by the committee formed, as per civil aviation rules (CAR), after which the airline has been directed to ban the passenger,” the official added.
{{/usCountry}}SpiceJet did not respond to requests for a comment by HT.
According to the airline’s earlier statement, the dispute began after staff informed the officer that his two cabin bags weighed 16kg, more than double the 7kg limit.
“When politely informed of the excess baggage and asked to pay the applicable charges, the passenger refused and forcefully entered the aerobridge without completing the boarding process – a clear violation of aviation security protocols. He was escorted back to the gate by a CISF official,” the airline had said.
“At the gate, the passenger grew increasingly aggressive and physically assaulted four members of the SpiceJet ground staff,” it added.
The staff suffered a spinal fracture and jaw injuries. A video of the incident, showing the officer hitting staff with a queue stand, was widely circulated on August 3.
An FIR was registered, while the airline wrote to the civil aviation ministry appraising them about the assault on its staff and had requested appropriate action against the passenger. The airline had also secured the CCTV footage of the incident from the airport authorities and handed it over to the police.
In a statement on August 3, the army had said it is fully cooperating with the authorities in the investigations into the case.
As per civil aviation requirements (CAR) on unruly passengers, misconduct is categorised into three levels: up to three months ban for Level 1, up to six months for Level 2, and a minimum of two years or more for Level 3 offences. The rules also allow aggrieved passengers to appeal within 60 days to an appellate committee.
This committee is headed by a retired district or sessions judge, and also includes a representative from another airline and from a passenger or consumer body. The committee must decide the case within 30 days, and its decision is binding on the airline.
This comes at a time when the number of passengers barred from flying has been steadily rising. India has placed 379 passengers on the no-fly list in the last five years, according to data recently shared by the civil aviation ministry in Parliament. While only 10 people were placed on the list in 2020, the number rose to 66 in 2021 and 110 in 2023, the highest so far. Till July 30 this year, 48 passengers had already been banned.