DGCA, or Directorate General of Civil Aviation, is a statutory entity that regulates civil aviation in India. It is in charge of overseeing the regulation of air transportation services, enforcement of civil aviation laws, air safety standards, and so on. In a letter to airlines on Monday, it highlighted the rules already in place for dealing with disruptive customers. Take a note of what qualifies as disruptive behaviour according to DGCA.
Series Of Unruly Behaviour On Flights
DGCA has issued a notice to all airlines in response to a string of incidents of passenger’s unruly behaviour. Moreover, it has urged them to concentrate on current regulations that address such situations. The warning was issued after an Air India flight headed to London was forced to return to Delhi due to a passenger’s “serious unruly behaviour”. And this resulted in the injury of two members of the cabin crew. The airline turned over the male passenger to security personnel upon its return soon after takeoff.
In addition to these incidents, there have been several instances of disorderly behaviour on board caused by intoxication. The DGCA has been pressing airlines to disclose such instances. In cases where the incidents were not reported or information was withheld, it has even fined carriers and their responsible employees.
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DGCA Advisory To The Airlines
First and foremost, airlines should inform travellers that if they violate the rules, they risk being detained. Smoking, failing to follow the pilot’s instructions, using obscene or abusive language, physically threatening or abusing them, etc are some indicative classifications for unruly behaviour.
The regulator reemphasized the protocols that pilots, cabin crew, and other airline employees should adhere to when managing such circumstances. And on the process to turn the errant passenger over to law enforcement officials upon landing. The airlines should group incidents of disruptive behaviour aboard aircraft into one of three categories before taking further action.
- Level 1: Rude actions, including rough language and rough-and-tumble intoxication.
- Level 2: Physically abusive conduct as well as inappropriate touching or sexual harassment.
- Level 3: Behaviour that poses a risk to one’s life, including harm to an aircraft’s systems, physical abuse, and an attempted or successful breach of the flight crew cabin.
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So, the next time you board a flight, keep these directions in mind!
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