SpiceJet has said that the video of Gurugram influencer Balvinder Kataria smoking inside the flight is old and that he was put on a no-fi]ying list for 15 days in February. The airline’s statement comes after the video of Kataria smoking inside the plane went viral, sparking a discussion on airline norms and safety.
“This is with reference to a video on social media of a passenger smoking onboard a SpiceJet aircraft. The matter had been investigated thoroughly in January 2022 when the video was brought to our notice and a complaint had been filed by the airline with the Udyog Vihar police station in Gurugram. The video, the investigation had revealed, was shot on 20th January 2022 while passengers were boarding flight SG 706 scheduled to operate from Dubai to Delhi,” it said.
“The said passenger and his co-passengers shot the video on the 21st row when the cabin crew were occupied with completing the on-boarding procedure. None of the passengers or crew was aware of the act. The matter came to the airline’s notice on January 24, 2022 through social media posts,” it said.
SpiceJet said that the matter was referred to the internal committee constituted as per the provisions of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on handling of unruly passengers. “The said passenger was put on a no flying list by the airline for 15 days in February 2022,” it said.
The video made it to headlines on Thursday after a Twitter user shared the video, and tagged Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. The minister, in a reply, said, “Investigating it. There will be no tolerance towards such hazardous behaviour (sic).”
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