No-fly list rules: Airlines can bar you from flying for 2 years or more

New rules regarding unruly behaviour by airline passengers were announced by the government on Friday. 

The development comes after the debacle surrounding Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who assaulted an Air India staffer onboard a plane.

Also, the government is looking at creating a national no-fly list of unruly passengers and security threats, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said. The list would be maintained by the DGCA.

According to a government release, airlines will maintain a database of unruly passengers which will form a national no-fly list of unruly or disruptive passengers. Individuals who have been identified as security threats by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs will also be included in the list. Airlines will have to inform these individuals about the inclusion of their names in the no-fly list and the reason for the inclusion. 

Here are the new rules regarding unruly behaviour: 

1) Instances of unruly behaviour will be defined under three categories. Level 1 will be disruptive behaviour like physical gestures etc. Level 2 will be physically abusive behaviour like pushing, kicking, sexual harassment etc. Level 3 for life threatening behaviour. 

2) Punishment for unruly behaviour will also fall under three categories. The 1st category is 3 months suspension. The punishment for level 2 offences will be 6 months and that for level 3 offences will be 2 years or more. 

3) Airline can ban the passenger from flying immediately but the passenger won’t come on national no-fly list immediately. 

4) Punishment of suspension for unruly behaviour applies to domestic carriers, if international carriers want this option they can use it too.

5) For every subsequent offence, the concerned individual will be barred for twice the period of the previous ban.

More details are awaited.