Shiv Sena MP barred from all Indian airlines, AI too cancels his ticket

NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad will no longer be able to fly on board any Indian carrier.In a rare unanimity, private airlines and Air India on Friday barred the MP from flying with them. Air India has cancelled Gaikwad's return ticket from Delhi to Pune at 4 pm on Friday, implementing the first-of-its-kind ban in India. Now, the MP will have to take a train back to Maharashtra.The action came a day after the Lok Sabha member beat up an AI staffer with sandals.“Air India and Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA, which comprises IndiGo, Jet, SpiceJet and GoAir) member airlines have decided to ban this MP from flying on all our flights with immediate effect. We believe that exemplary action should be taken in such incidents to protect employee morale and public safety,” said Ujjwal Dey of FIA in a joint AI-FIA statement.“AI and the member airlines of the FIA condemn the assault on an AI staff member by a passenger who happens to be an MP on March 23, 2017. The airlines demand that strict action be taken against the MP by law enforcement agencies. We believe that an assault on any one of our employees is an assault on all of us and on ordinary law abiding citizens of our country who work hard to earn a living,” Dey’s statement in a rare show of unity by FIA and AI said..“In the interest of the safety and security of our colleagues and other customers, we also propose the promulgation of a ‘no fly’ list which shall include the names of all unruly passengers. Such customers are not welcome on our carriers and we seek the support of the government and security agencies to enforce such a ‘no-fly’ list,” it added.The decision came just in time as AI was in a bind with Gaikwad's return ticket. Several employees had expressed resentment, and the airline felt that Gaikwad’s flying may lead to security or safety issues. Gaikwad’s high-handedness , for once, brought India’s divided airline industry together, which finally led to AI cancelling his ticket.SpiceJet chairman Ajay Singh said: “SpiceJet supports a no-fly list to bar unruly flyers who are a safety hazard for not just the crew, but even the travellers. The government needs to act on this soon. An attack on our employees and crew is an attack on us and we strongly condemn such incidents.” IndiGo also said it supported a no-fly list for unruly passengers.Indian carriers have, so far, never barred any individual from flying and Gaikwad’s is the first case of its kind here. “Airlines staffers – cutting across all carriers – are very upset with what Gaikwad did on an Air India plane. He may get violent again. We also fear that other passengers and/or airline/airport staff may return the favour to the MP. In the interest of safety, he may have to be barred from flying,” said an airline official.That airlines will take a tough stand was made clear by AI’s no-nonsense chairman Ashwani Lohani late on Thursday night itself. Lohani had said in a Facebook post, “We would not permit anyone to misbehave with Air Indians on duty and would go all the way to ensure that justice is done.”It remains to be seen if Vistara and AirAsia India, private airlines of Tata Group which are not members of FIA, also bar the MP from their flights.Aviation minister A G Raju had tweeted: “We are also working on creating institutional mechanisms to check undesirable flight behaviour or unruly passengers. Such regrettable incidents should never happen again.”Upset at being seated in the economy section of an aircraft with no business seats, Gaikwad had beaten up an Air India staffer “25 times” with his sandals and tried to throw him out of the aircraft on arrival in Delhi Thursday.