A Bill, aimed at enhancing the compensation that airlines must pay to passengers in case of death, injury, lost baggage or even inordinate flight delays, was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2015 Bill, which was moved by Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and passed by a voice vote, intends to increase the compensation for death in an air accident to over Rs 1 crore from almost Rs 89 lakh now.
The Bill will enable the government to revise the liability limits of air carriers in line with the Montreal Convention, which was acceded to by India in May 2009. Once enacted, the measure would result in the Indian carriers paying compensation equivalent to rates paid by their global counterparts. It intends to raise the liability limit for damage in case of death or bodily injury for each person from 1,00,000 SDR (special drawing rights) to 1,13,100 SDR.
