Aviation watchdogs slap Rs 1.2 crore penalty on IndiGo, Rs 30 lakh each on SpiceJet, Air India

Also Read : Indigo Pilot Assault: People can be reasonable, the weather cannot

At a time when the airlines are scrambling to streamline flights delayed by fog resulting in a mad rush at airports, a video surfaced showing an incident of IndiGo passengers rushing out at the Mumbai airport, sitting on the tarmac and having food as their flight was diverted.

IndiGo earlier said it already initiated an internal inquiry into the incident. The airline has not reacted after the hefty fine was imposed. "IndiGo has already initiated an internal inquiry to address the issue and will be responding to the notice as per protocol," it said in a statement.

The BCAS has also imposed a penalty of Rs 60 lakh on the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) for the tarmac incident, whereas, the DGCA has imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on the airport in relation to the same.

The BCAS has fined MIAL on four counts including failure to report incident to it, "false statement" about deployment of security officers, no alternate arrangements for surveillance on the apron, and failure to implement security control measures at the apron.

Notably, the BCAS has fined IndiGo on five counts including failure to report the incident to the DGCA, "implement office order dated 21.9.2021, ensure screening of passengers and their baggage before boarding a flight", maintain aircraft release certificate for the flight in question with correct details, deploy security staff as per scale and respond to the situation responsibly and efficiently.

The fine on SpiceJet and Air India has been levied for failing to train their pilots sufficiently to handle CAT III operations.

The DGCA had on January 4 issued a show cause notice to Air India and SpiceJet for 'rostering non-CAT III compliant pilots' during the foggy season in Delhi, which resulted in more diversions of the flights from the national capital.

Earlier on January 17, Aviation Minister Jyotiaditya Scindia had in a post on social networking website X said that the treatment meted out to the passengers in the instant case was unacceptable

"We have acted immediately in the form of a show cause notice to the concerned operators. Further, SOPs for better communication to passengers were also issued. Implementation is being monitored thrice daily," Scindia had said.

CAT-III instrument landing system is used at major airports across India to allow pilots to land their flights when visibility is as low as 50 meters. However, a pilot must be trained to use this system.

Since Sunday morning, hundreds of flights have been delayed or canceled across the country amid dense fog.