The Air India and Federation of Indian Airlines on Friday banned Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad from flying on all member flights with immediate effect. The FIA has Jet Airways, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir as its members.
Gaikwad had repeatedly hit a 60-year-old Air India officer with a sandal over being unable to travel business class despite having insisted on boarding an all-economy flight. Air India has filed two FIRs against the MP, while the Shiv Sena has sought an explanation from him.
The government is working on an institutional mechanism to check “undesirable flight behaviour” while Air India is mulling preparing a no-fly list for unruly passengers. Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said such regrettable incidents should never happen again.
Air India even cancelled his return ticket to Pune from Delhi, anticipating backlash by its employees. Gaekwad had earlier said that he will be taking the Air India flight on Frdiay evening. Air India had also written to the Shiv Sena conveying its decision.
“We have intimated Shiv Sena that we can’t fly Gaekwad on his return flight because our employees are agitated. He has assured us that the party will advise the MP not to fly Air India today,” an Air India official said. The source added that the airport employees have said that they won’t attend to him and they won’t let him enter.
Gaikwad is facing the ire after he repeatedly thrashed a 60-year-old employee of Air India on Thursday with a sandal for not being given a business class seat in an all-economy flight.
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