DGCA fines IndoGo Rs 5 lakh for not boarding specially-abled child
The DGCA investigation revealed that the handling of the special child by the Indigo ground staff was deficient. That the DGCA said, exacerbated the situation.
FollowIndiGo airline has been fined Rs 5 lakh by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation for denying boarding to a specially-abled child at Ranchi airport on May 7.
On May 9, the airline justified its action of not allowing the boy to board the Ranchi-Hyderabad flight saying that he was 'visibly in panic'.
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But the boy's parents, who were accompanying him, too decided not to board the aircraft and lodged a complaint following which the DGCA had on May 9 formed a three-member team to investigate.
The investigation revealed that the handling of the special child by the Indigo ground staff was deficient. That the DGCA said, exacerbated the situation.
The aviation regulator's report underlined that more compassionate handling would have smoothened nerves and calmed the child and not led to a scenario that required the extreme step of denying boarding to the passengers.
Underlining that special situations deserved extraordinary responses, the DGCA said that the airline's staff committed lapses in adherence to the letter and spirit of the Civil Aviation Requirements (regulations) and failed to rise up to the occasion.
The DGCA issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo on May 17 following the findings of the three-member committee. The notice asked the airline to explain why enforcement action should not be taken against them for non-conformance. In a statement that day, the aviation regulator said that the committee's proceedings were partly held in camera and partly in the open at the request of the family. The DGCA had given IndiGo time till May 26 to reply to the show-cause notice.
Accordingly, the competent authority imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the airline under the provisions of the relevant Aircraft Rules.
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