IndiGo, AirAsia crack the whip against flyers flouting COVID-19 norms

Number of people violating latest COVID-19 guidelines laid down by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is on the rise. IndiGo handed over one passenger from Delhi-Hyderabad flight and another one from Nagpur-Goa flight to airport police since they refused to wear face masks despite repeated reminders from the crew.

The airline handed over the two passengers to airport police and has filed a police complaint against them. This is not the first time IndiGo has faced such a situation.

Earlier this month, IndiGo had to cancel the take-off of a Delhi-Pune flight after a passenger said he was COVID-19 positive. The IndiGo flight 6E-286 was preparing for lift-off on March 4, 2021, when the passenger told the cabin crew he was positive for coronavirus and showed documents to prove the same. Following this, the pilot decided to return back to the parking bay.

Also read: Pilot cancels take-off after IndiGo passenger says he's COVID positive

Airlines like AirAsia and Alliance Air have also taken action against passengers for not complying with COVID-19 safety protocols. AirAsia offloaded two middle seat passengers for refusing to wear PPE kits from a Goa-Mumbai flight earlier this week.

AirAsia's official release on the matter read, "Despite repeated requests, on observation that two guests refused to comply with the safety protocols laid out by the health and governing bodies, AirAsia India deplaned the guests from its Goa-Mumbai flights."

Also read: 4 passengers de-boarded from flight for not following DGCA's Covid protocols

Alliance Air also deboarded four passengers on its Jammu-Delhi flight since they were not wearing face masks in the proper way. These passengers were charged for being "unruly or disruptive" and handed over to the Delhi airport security agencies.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted, "I appeal to all air passengers to strictly follow the laid down COVID-19 protocol to safeguard themselves and others around them. Precaution is always better than cure... and disrupted travel plans! Fly safe."

Also read: Airlines see drop in bookings amid mandatory negative COVID-19 test in many states

Also read: Passengers not wearing masks properly to be de-boarded, treated as 'unruly passengers', says DGCA