DGCA imposes ₹10 lakh fine on Go First for taking off without 55 passengers

A Go First flight had left behind 55 passengers in the passenger coach at Bengaluru airport on January 9

The aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday imposed a fine of ₹10 lakh on Go First for leaving 55 passengers behind at Bengaluru airport on January 9.

Go First had apologised for the incident and said it was caused due to an inadvertent oversight. (Representative Image)

“The airline failed to ensure adequate arrangement for ground handling, preparation of load and trim sheet, flight dispatch and passenger/cargo handling and therefore, enforcement action in the form of Financial Penalty of Rs. 10 lakhs has been imposed for violation of CAR (civil aviation requirement),” a DGCA statement said.

The low-cost carrier that operated the flight G8-116 on Bengaluru-Delhi sector, left behind 55 passengers in the passenger coach at Bengaluru airport. This led the DGCA to issue a show cause notice to the airline’s accountable manager asking why an enforcement action should not be taken against them for dereliction of their regulatory obligations.

Go First, DGCA officials said, had submitted a reply to its show cause notice on January 25.

Meanwhile, the airline had apologised in a statement which it said was “caused due to an inadvertent oversight”. “Passengers were accommodated on alternate airlines to Delhi and onward to other destinations,” a statement from the airline said.

It also announced one free ticket each for the affected travellers. “In line with our philosophy of customer centricity, the airline has decided to offer all affected passengers one free ticket for travel on any domestic sector in the next 12 months,” the airline spokesperson had said.