IndiGo lift ban on TDP MP Diwakar Reddy

Budget passenger carrier IndiGo on Wednesday said it has decided to revoke the ban on flying TDP MP J.C. Diwakar Reddy on its flights.

"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 airline said in a statement.

"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.

As of June 16, all the major seven domestic airlines -- Air India, Jet Airways, IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir, Vistara and AirAsia India -- had barred the TDP MP from their flights.

It was alleged that Diwakar Reddy on June 15 created ruckus at the Visakhapatnam airport after he was denied a boarding pass for an IndiGo flight as he had not showed up in time.

The Telugu Desam Party lawmaker from Anantapur was also said to have damaged a printer and misbehaved with IndiGo staff.

The MP had apparently reported at the check-in counter 28 minutes before the scheduled departure of the flight against the regulation of 45 minutes. As the airline staff told him they could not issue him a boarding pass, he got angry and entered into a heated argument with them.

--IANS

rv/vt