The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has fined Akasa Air Rs 10 lakh for denying boarding to seven passengers on September 6, 2024, due to unserviceable seats and not offering the required compensation.
The passengers had booked a flight from Bangalore to Pune on Akasa flight QP 1437, scheduled for 2050 IST. However, the aircraft was grounded due to foreign object damage, and a replacement plane with nine non-operational seats was provided. As a result, seven passengers were denied boarding.
While Akasa arranged an alternate flight for the seven passengers scheduled for 2240 IST, the new departure time was over an hour later than the original.
According to the civil aviation ministry released a charter in August 2019 on the rights of passengers flying within the country, in such cases, the airline is liable to offer compensation only when it is unable to put the passenger on an alternative flight scheduled to leave within one hour of the original departure time.
As Akasa Air had arranged for an alternative flight over an hour later than the original, a fine of up to Rs 10,000 was to be paid as compensation by the airline.
However, the the airline failed to compensate the affected passengers, violating the provisions of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section-3, Series M, Part IV.
Responding to the development, Akasa Air said: "We acknowledge receipt of an order by the DGCA dated December 23, 2024. We continue to work closely with the DGCA to address this matter and enhance our protocols as required by the regulator.”
According to the MoCA charter, if the alternative flight is arranged within 24 hours of the original flight’s departure, up to Rs 10,000 has to be paid as compensation by the airline. If the alternative flight is beyond 24 hours of the original departure, an amount up to Rs 20,000 has to be paid as compensation.
After issuing a show cause notice on August 29, the DGCA said that the airline's justifications were insufficient and imposed the penalty under Rule 162 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937.
This is not the first time the airline has faced action from the regulator. In October this year, the airline was penalised with a Rs 30 lakh fine for deficiencies in pilot training. The violations included conducting practical training for technical instructors and pilots without the necessary ATRP approvals, exceeding the allowed training hours, and appointing examiners unqualified for CAT II/III operations.
Last week, Akasa received a notice for lapses in aircraft maintenance and certification. The airline was also issued a show-cause notice for not updating its operations manual within the prescribed time.
In a separate incident on December 9, the DGCA issued a show-cause notice to Akasa's Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) after a spot check on August 30 at Bangalore International Airport revealed improper reinstallation of a right-hand nose wheel tire pressure indicator sensor on aircraft VT-YAY. The certifying staff had failed to lock the sensor system properly.
The DGCA in August 2024 had imposed a similar fine of Rs 10 lakh on Air India Express for not complying with rules regarding providing compensation to passengers affected due to cancellation of flights.
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