The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Air India. Despite having tickets on Air India flight, passengers were refused to sit. The airline did not pay proper compensation to the passengers in lieu of this. When the matter reached before the DGCA, it imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Air India after hearing.
The DGCA said it has imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Air India for denying boarding and not paying compensation to passengers despite having tickets. A show cause notice was issued to the airline on his behalf. After that both the sides were also heard. The DGCA directed the airline to put in place a system in place to resolve the issue at the earliest.
According to a report, the DGCA found in the investigation that in this case the passengers of Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi were not given proper compensation. Air India, however, said that it does not have a policy on damages for which compensation has not been paid to passengers.
The DGCA said that its rules are in line with the US aviation regulator FAA and European aviation regulator EASA in terms of protecting the interests of passengers. Similar rules are followed globally. The DGCA had instructed all domestic airlines to follow the rules.
What does DGCA’s manual say
According to the DGCA rules, if the airline arranges an alternate flight for the affected passenger within an hour, then no compensation will have to be paid. If the airline is able to provide alternative arrangements within the next 24 hours, a compensation of up to Rs 10,000 is to be paid. For more than 24 hours, compensation of up to 20 thousand rupees is fixed. The DGCA had recently asked for compensation and facilities to the affected passengers. The airlines were instructed that they would be fined for not doing so.