Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad not barred from flying yet, but airlines plan a ‘no fly’ list

Ravindra Gaikwad had repeatedly hit a 60-year-old Air India officer with a sandal over being unable to travel business class in an all-economy flight

By: News Desk |
March 24, 2017 12:14 pm

Taking a strong view of the incident where Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad misbehaved with Air India employee Shivkumar in a flight, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) is in discussion with all flight operators to ban the Shiv Sena MP.

The Federation of Indian Airlines, has Jet Airways, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir as its members. However speaking on reports that the MP has already been banned, the FIA said, “We have not banned the MP. We do not have powers to ban anyone. In any case, Air India is not part of FIA. We are discussing and asking operators also about banning the Shiv Sena MP,” FIA official Ujjwal Dey said.

Have not banned MP. We do not have powers to ban anyone.In any case, Air India is not part of FIA: FIA Director Ujjwal Dey to ANI

— ANI (@ANI_news) March 24, 2017

Budget carrier IndiGo also said it will support any move which bars unruly passengers from flying, a day after Air India said it was mulling preparing a no-fly list for such people. “We will support a no-fly list,” IndiGo President and Whole Time Director Aditya Ghosh said.

Gaikwad had repeatedly hit a 60-year-old Air India officer with a sandal over being unable to travel business class despite having insisted on boarding an all-economy flight. Air India has filed two FIRs against the MP, while the Shiv Sena has sought an explanation from him.

The government is working on an institutional mechanism to check “undesirable flight behaviour” while Air India is mulling preparing a no-fly list for unruly passengers. Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said such regrettable incidents should never happen again.

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