IndiGo, other major airlines lift ban on TDP MP Diwakar Reddy

New Delhi, July 19 (IANS) Budget passenger carrier IndiGo on Wednesday revoked the ban on flying TDP MP J.C. Diwakar Reddy on its flights after he expressed regret over an incident of unruly behaviour committed last month.

Following IndiGo's decision, all major domestic airlines -- Air India, Jet Airways, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Vistara and AirAsia India -- also revoked the ban.

GoAir which had also banned Reddy from using its flight services declined to comment on the issue.

On its part, IndiGo said: "Senior IndiGo officials today met Honourable Member of Parliament Diwakar Reddy, at a lunch hosted by senior Member of Parliament Y.S. Chaudhary, to resolve the issue of Honourable Member Diwakar Reddy's ban on IndiGo flights."

"The issue is amicably resolved between the two and IndiGo has decided to lift the said ban with immediate effect and Reddy is withdrawing the case he has filed."

The airline added that it has informed the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) about its decision.

In a similar incident in March, Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad was accused of assaulting an Air India staffer, following which several airlines banned him from flying on their planes till he apologised.

Gaikwad later submitted a letter to the Aviation Minister to express 'regret', after which AI revoked the ban, followed by the Federation of Indian Airlines and other private airlines also lifting the ban.

Following the Gaikwad incident, the Civil Aviation Ministry released the draft rules for a national 'no-fly list' that would ban unruly passengers from domestic air travel.

Under the proposed rules, airlines can impose a travel ban on an unruly passenger in the time range of three months to two years or beyond depending upon the level of misbehaviour.

Current rules only allow airlines to refuse boarding or off-loading of a passenger whose behaviour is deemed as unruly or disruptive to the safety of flight operations.