Norms on no-fly list in July: Sinha

Union Minister Jayant Sinha on Tuesday said rules for a national no-fly list "are being finalised" and will be issued next month.

According to the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, the norms on the list will be issued in the first week of July.

The minister revealed on the sidelines of an event here that the ministry has received "very comprehensive and exhaustive feedback" from stakeholders.

The development comes days after all the seven major domestic airlines barred TDP MP J.C. Diwakar Reddy from their flights over alleged misbehaved with IndiGo officials.

It has been alleged that after being denied a boarding pass, the Telugu Desam Party lawmaker from Anantapur damaged a printer and misbehaved with IndiGo airline staff at Visakhapatnam airport on June 15.

In a similar incident in March, Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad was accused of assaulting an Air India staff, following which several airlines banned him from flying on their planes till he apologised.

Gaikwad later submitted a letter to the Aviation Minister to express 'regret', after which AI revoked the ban, followed by the Federation of Indian Airlines and other private airlines also lifting the ban.

Following the Gaikwad incident, the Civil Aviation Ministry last month released the draft rules for a national 'no-fly list' that would ban unruly passengers from domestic air travel.

Under the proposed rules, airlines can impose a travel ban on an unruly passenger in the time range of three months to two years or beyond depending upon the level of misbehaviour.

Current rules only allow airlines to refuse boarding or off-loading of a passenger whose behaviour is deemed as unruly or disruptive to the safety of flight operations.

--IANS

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