"Can't Even Imagine": Jyotiraditya Scindia on Incident of Passengers Eating on Tarmac

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated that within hours of receiving information about the viral video depicting passengers sitting and eating on the Mumbai airport tarmac, a show-cause notice was promptly issued to the airlines and the airport. He added that penalties have been imposed.

"We have had a few days of zero visibility. In those days, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, for landings and take-offs... That caused a chain of events that led to this aircraft coming into the airport and then going into a parking stand for reasons that I can't even imagine. I have repeatedly said that the safety and security of our citizens are primary for us under civil aviation, and therefore within hours of learning about that incident happening, beyond the stroke of midnight, a meeting was held with all officials within the Ministry, and the show-cause notice was immediately issued," Scindia said on Thursday.

#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana | On the imposition of heavy penalties on airlines & MIAL recently, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia says, "...We have had a few days of zero visibility. In those days, it becomes difficult if not impossible for landings &… pic.twitter.com/QJJNPRrwqw

— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2024

He further emphasized that the security of the passengers is their priority, and within three to four hours, notices were issued. "The fact that passengers were inconvenienced, had to eat on the tarmac, and that security had been compromised across all points was unacceptable. Within 3-4 hours, notices were issued, and within 24 hours of the notices being issued, the necessary penalties have been levied. This or any incident like this is unacceptable for us, and therefore the penalties have been issued."

Earlier on Wednesday, Mumbai Airport faced a Rs 30 lakh fine from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), while IndiGo Airlines received a Rs 1.20 crore fine from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) related to the viral video showing passengers sitting and eating on the airport tarmac. The aviation security regulator BCAS imposed a Rs 60 lakh penalty on Mumbai airport operator MIAL for the incident involving passengers having food on the tarmac.

DGCA stated that the response to the Show Cause Notice, received on Wednesday, was deemed unsatisfactory. "Regulators say that the reply to the Show Cause Notice was received on 17.01.2024 and was not found satisfactory, as the response submitted by MIAL shows that they have failed to adhere to the safety requirements as laid down in the Air Safety Circular 04 of 2007," the ministry official said. DGCA imposed Rs 30 lakh fines on both Air India and SpiceJet for pilot rostering lapses during flight operations in low visibility conditions. Additionally, a viral video showed passengers of a Delhi-bound IndiGo flight diverted to Mumbai sitting and eating on the airport tarmac.