Airliners ban Shiv Sena MP after brazen assault on AI staffer

Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who allegedly hit an Air India employee with his slippers on a plane on Thursday, is barred from travelling by not only Air India but also four other domestic airlines.

‘Air India and the member airlines of the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) that includes IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Go Air, condemn the assault on an Air India staff member by a passenger who happens to be a Member of Parliament on March 23, 2017,’ a joint statement from Air India and the FIA said.

The airlines have demanded that strict action be taken against Mr. Gaikwad by law enforcement agencies. ‘We believe that an assault on any one of our employees is an assault on all of us and on ordinary law abiding citizens of our country who work hard to earn a living,’ the statement said.

Air India and the FIA member airlines decided to ban Mr. Gaikwad from flying on all their flights with immediate effect. ‘We believe that exemplary action should be taken in such incidents to protect employee morale and public safety,’ the FIA said.

‘In the interest of the safety and security of our colleagues and other customers, we also propose the promulgation of a “no fly” list, which shall include the names of all unruly passengers. Such customers are not welcome on our carriers and we seek the support of the government and security agencies to enforce such a list,’ the statement said.

“SpiceJet supports a no fly list to bar unruly flyers who are a safety hazard for not just the crew but even the traveling public. The government needs to act on this soon,” SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh said. “An attack on our employees and crew is an attack on us and we strongly condemn such incidents,” he added.

An IndiGo spokesperson said the airline supports a ”no fly” list.