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For The First Time, Govt Has Announced 'No-Fly' List Rules For Unruly Passengers On Airlines

A minimum of two years ban for 'life threatening behaviour'.
An Air India aircraft takes off as an IndiGo Airlines aircraft waits for clearance at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.
Amit Dave / Reuters
An Air India aircraft takes off as an IndiGo Airlines aircraft waits for clearance at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.

In an attempt to tackle the unruly and disruptive behaviour of travelers on aircraft, the aviation ministry today released the guidelines to prepare a no-fly list.

"To ensure safety and check unruly & disruptive behaviour on aircraft, we will put in place, mechanism for country's first No-Fly list today," said Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Union Minister for Civil Aviation.

So what happens if someone is unruly on a flight?

According to the guidelines, there are three levels of offence.

In the first level, a passenger will get a ban of up to three months for unruly physical gestures, verbal harassment and unruly inebriation. If the passenger engages in physical abuse (pushing, kicking, hitting, inappropriate touching) he/she will be banned for up to six months. The passenger will face a minimum of two years of ban for "life threatening behaviour", assaults and damage to the aircraft.

The minister said that the no-fly ban will be in addition to any statutory legal action that can be taken against the offender under existing laws.

"Decision will be taken by an independent committee under a retired District Judge within a period of 30 days of alleged offence," the minister added.

The move to put in place a no-fly list follows an incident involving Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad who hit an Air India staffer "25 times" with a slipper for not being allowed to fly business class in an all-economy plane earlier this year. A draft of the proposed no-fly list was floated in May following the incident. Air India and other airlines had barred the MP from flying. However, after government's intervention, Air India had to back out.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.