After IndiGo, Air India too bars TDP MP to travel in its flights

Both IndiGo and Air India on Thursday barred Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP J.C. Diwakar Reddy to travel in their flights, who had created ruckus earlier in the day at Vizag Airport.

The Indigo airlines approached the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) to ban Reddy from Jet Airways, Go Airlines, Spicejet and other members of the FIA.

Reddy earlier in the day rebuffed the charges of him creating ruckus at the Visakhapatnam airport and said he did not misbehave with any official of Indigo.

The TDP MP said that there were a number of people standing at the counter when he reached the airport, who had not been granted the boarding pass.

Meanwhile, confirming the reports of the ruckus created by Reddy, the IndiGo Airlines said that the former raged against the staff and behaved aggressively.

Meanwhile, Indigo in its letter stated that the MP delayed the flight by 28 minutes prior to the scheduled departure. The national carrier stated that it will take necessary action to address the violation.

Earlier in the day, Reddy arrived late at the airport and demanded a boarding pass after the staff closed the counter as the deadline had ended. He was later provided a boarding pass. He was flying from Vizag to Hyderabad from flight no: 6E 608.

Reportedly, some property in the Indigo office was broken and the staff was also manhandled. The Vishakapatnam airport director refused the same and said it was just an argument which was sorted out soon.

Reddy had repeated this same behaviour in October last year at the Vijaywada Airport when he had arrived late to catch an Air India flight. He had resorted to vandalism and an argument.

Reddy is the second MP after Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad who was banned from flying in the airlines.

On March 23, the Air India registered two FIRs against Gaikwad for hitting an Air India staffer with his slipper over sitting issue and for forcibly holding the flight and delaying it for 40 minutes.