AI cabin crew termed him a flight risk

fly him unless he apologised

issued a missive to AI

Govt orders Air India to lift ban on Ravindra Gaikwad, MP can fly again

NEW DELHI: The aviation ministry on Friday ordered the Air India to immediately lift the two-week-old ban on grounded MP Ravindra Gaikwad . The airline complied with the order and now private airlines, which were waiting for AI ’s decision, will follow suit.The government move came despite the AI management telling the aviation ministry on Thursday that Gaikwad must apologise to the airline and its employees.and the pilots said they did not want toHowever, disregarding this, the aviation ministry hasto lift the ban on the MP. The ministry accepted Gaikwad’s ‘regret’ letter issued to aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Thursday in which he had said that his earlier behaviour should not be seen as an indicator that such things will happen again.Gaikwad had been banned by Air India and then all private airlines like IndiGo, Jet, SpiceJet and GoAir, on March 24 — a day after he beat up a 60-year-old AI staffer with sandals and tried to throw him off the plane at Delhi Airport.On Thursday, Shiv Sena had threatened that it will stop flights in Mumbai and skip the dinner hosted by PM Modi next Monday unless their lawmaker is back on planes. Shiv Sena MPs and ministers heckled and gheraoed aviation minister A G Raju in Lok Sabha and Raju had to be escorted to his chamber by BJP ministers. There was tremendous pressure on BJP from ally Shiv Sena — which is providing crucial support to the coalition government in Maharashtra — to get the ban lifted on Gaikwad.The government gave in to the Sena pressure. The aviation ministry’s move comes after several rounds of meetings AI chief Ashwani Lohani had with both aviation ministers — A G Raju and Jayant Sinha — in which the CMD made the airline’s stand clear.In fact, on Friday, AI cancelled two tickets issued in Ravindra Gaikwad’s name for him to fly from Delhi to Mumbai on April 17 and then from Mumbai to Delhi on April 24. Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet have cancelled tickets booked for Gaikwad several times since March 24.AI Cabin Crew Association (AICCA) on Friday morning described Gaikwad as a “flight risk” and urged the government to think hard before revoking the ban on him from flying. AI pilots also on Friday told the management that they appreciate the stand taken by (chairman Ashwani Lohani) against unruly passengers in the interest of public safety”.Realising that the government will order AI to fly Gaikwad again, AICCA said on Friday morning — hours before the ban was revoked — that it will be a ‘shame’ if Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad is allowed to resume flying “without a rap on the knuckles” for his act of beating up a 60-year-old staffer and threatening to throw him off a plane at Delhi Airport last month. “We Do NOT wish to be flying such a person….It would also crush the morale of all employees,” the association said in a letter to AI chairman late on Thursday night.“We as cabin crew must only point out that Ravindra Gaikwad is and will continue to be a risk to flight safety, flight operations and to cabin crew safety on board, and hence Government must think long and hard about letting him back on. In fact, unless he tenders an unconditional apology to AI employees… we must not let him on board,” the union says.Expressing concern that AI will be “forced to accept him back on flight(s)”, AICCA says: “We find it our bounden duty to point out that the blatantly criminal actions of the MP have not only been in poor taste, but are criminal acts of violence. For either the (aviation) ministry or Parliament to allow such a person to get away without even a rap on the knuckles or even forcing an apology to all Air-Indians and indeed all Indians, would be a crying shame and would reflect very sadly on… workers and civilised humans.”