India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has proposed stricter rules to deal with unruly passengers. The new draft allows airlines to directly impose a flying ban of up to 30 days on disruptive flyers. The draft revised Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) has been placed in the public domain for stakeholder comments till March 16.
As per a report by PTI, the DGCA stated a “No/Zero Tolerance Policy” has been adopted “to ensure the safety of the aircraft/persons/property and to maintain good order and discipline on board an aircraft.”
What is changing under the new draft?
Under the new proposal, airlines can directly impose a ban of up to 30 days on passengers found committing specific disruptive acts, without first referring the issue to an independent committee. These acts will include smoking on board, misuse of emergency exits, consuming alcohol on domestic flights and unauthorised use of life-saving equipment such as life jackets, PTI reported.
The draft also asks airlines to form a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to handle such incidents and report them to the regulator.
As per a report by Hindustan Times, the draft introduces a new “Level 4” category for attempted or actual breach of the cockpit, considering it as a more serious offence. Level 3 and 4 violations can attract a minimum ban of two years or more.
How are offences classified?
The offences are divided into levels. Level 1 includes verbal abuse or unruly behaviour and can attract a ban of up to three months.
Level 2 deals with physical abuse and may result to a six-month ban.
Level 3 covers life-threatening acts such as damaging aircraft systems, whereas Level 4 relates to cockpit breaches.
The draft also distinguishes between “unruly” and “disruptive” passengers. While disruptive flyers may face a short-term airline-imposed ban, those who are placed on the official no-fly list after a committee decision may face longer restrictions.
Under the existing norms, airlines can impose a temporary ban of up to 45 days pending a committee decision, a provision that remains in the proposed framework.