On Wednesday (17th January), the Bureau of Civil Aviation Safety (BCAS) imposed a fine of Rs 1.2 crore on IndiGo and Rs 60 lakh on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMI Airport). A video of passengers eating on the tarmac at the Airport had gone viral. Additionally, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakhs on the Mumbai Airport.
The action was taken in connection to this case after the regulatory authority received a dissatisfactory reply from the CSMI Airport to the show cause notice. The CSMI Airport failed to abide by the prescribed safety requirements. Notably, on 15th January, passengers were seen sitting on the airport’s tarmac and having dinner after facing a delay of over 12 hours for an IndiGo flight. Air India and SpiceJet were also penalised for violating norms.
Why was Airport fined?
The BCAS has imposed a penalty of Rs 1.2 Crore on IndiGo. The DGCA penalised the Mumbai Airport for Rs 30 lakhs while the BCAS imposed a fine of Rs 60 lakhs on the airport raising the fine amount to Rs 90 lakhs. On Wednesday, show cause notices were issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to both IndiGo and Mumbai Airport following the viral circulation of a video depicting passengers sitting on the tarmac and having meals. In this notice, the ministry said, “If replies are not received in the given time, then enforcement action, including financial penalty, will be initiated.” As the responses received to this notice were dissatisfactory, the authorities imposed the fine.
The ministry attributed responsibility to both Mumbai Airport and IndiGo for the incident. It accused them of not being “proactive in anticipating the situation and making the appropriate facilitation arrangements for passengers at the airport.” The notice further read, “The aircraft was allotted a remote bay C-33 (instead of a Contact Stand – an aircraft parking stand that is suitable for walking passengers to and from an aircraft from an allocated boarding gate), which further added to passenger woes and deprived them the opportunity to avail basic facilities like restrooms and refreshments at the terminal.”
Why was the IndiGo fined?
The ministry additionally stated that the flight operation occurred without considering “passenger convenience, laid down security norms, and operational issues.” In the show cause notice served to IndiGo, the authorities said, “Indigo allowed disembarkation of passengers from flight 6E 2195 onto the apron and then boarded them on to flight 6E 2091 on 15.01.2024 at Mumbai airport, without following the procedure of security screening, which violates the above-mentioned orders. Further, the incident was not reported to BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) by the aircraft operator, which is attributed to a violation of Rule 51 of the Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023.”
Video Report | Civil Aviation Minister @JM_Scindia takes strong action after passengers are seen having dinner on the tarmac at Mumbai airport. Notices issued to @IndiGo6E and Mumbai International Airport for lapses in facilitation and security procedures.
— The Assam Tribune (@assamtribuneoff) January 16, 2024
Read More:… pic.twitter.com/mOtEXFZ2RU
IndiGo previously announced conducting an internal inquiry into the incident. Following the imposition of the substantial fine, the airline has yet to respond. In a statement, IndiGo stated, “The Airport Security Group (ASG) of Mumbai was also not forewarned about the situation.” The video of this incident came hours after a clip of a cabin crew being assaulted by a passenger over the delay in take-off had gone viral on the internet. Now the DGCA and BCAS have fined the Mumbai Airport and the IndiGo Airline involved in this incident.
Not only IndiGo, but SpiceJet and Air India were also fined
DGCA has also imposed a fine on SpiceJet and Air India. Both have been asked to pay Rs 30 lakh each. Their flights were delayed due to fog in Delhi. They were not prepared for fog, due to which the DGCA has fined them. These airlines are alleged to have not deployed CAT III trained pilots on duty during foggy days. CAT III certified pilots are trained to fly flights even in low light.
