IndiGo, AirIndia, and Spice Jet suspended stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra from flying after he allegedly heckled Republic TV editor and journalist Arnab Goswami in Mumbai-Lucknow flight on Tuesday.
While IndiGo suspended Kamra from flying with it for a period of six months, Air India banned him until further notice. After the airlines suspended Kamra, people are divided on whether the move is justifiable or not.
Well, it is important to know what are the rules framed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for unruly behaviour.
The DGCA maintains a record of the no-fly list under which air travellers can be banned from flying for a period ranging from three months to lifetime for unruly behaviour on the plane. The unruly behaviour by the passengers are divided into three levels and under these levels, passengers can be banned for over two years depending upon the level of misdemeanour.
Level 1 – Ban up to three months for unruly physical gestures, verbal harassment, and unruly inebriation.
Level 2 – Ban up to six months for physically abusive behaviour (pushing, kicking, hitting, inappropriate touching).
Level 3 – Ban for a minimum of two years for life-threatening behaviour like assaults, damage to aircraft systems, etc.
Earlier, after the video went viral on social media, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri advised other airlines in India to impose similar restrictions on Kamra, stating “offensive behaviour designed to provoke & create disturbance inside an aircraft is absolutely unacceptable & endangers the safety of air travellers”. Following the minister’s remarks, Vistara said it will “review and follow due process in such cases”.
