Army officer who assaulted SpiceJet staff at Srinagar airport put on no-fly list

ASenior native american regular army ship's officer who assaulted SpiceJet staffers at the Srinagar airdrome endure month has been placed on the airline’s no-fly list for five years, two officials close to the development told HT.He has been declared “unruly” and, as per norms, "will not be able to fly in any of the SpiceJet domestic or international flights for five years”, one of the officials said. A second official said the decision was made by a committee set up as per the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR).The incident, videos of which went viral, took place on July 26 at the boarding gate for flight SG 386 from Srinagar to Delhi.An official comment from SpiceJet is awaited.According to the airline’s earlier statement, the dispute began after staff informed the officer that his two cabin bags weighed 16 kg, more than double the 7 kg limit.“When politely informed of the excess baggage and asked to pay the applicable charges, the passenger refused and forcefully entered the aerobridge without completing the boarding process — a clear violation of aviation security protocols. He was escorted back to the gate by a CISF official,” the airline said.“At the gate, the passenger grew increasingly aggressive and physically assaulted four members of the SpiceJet ground staff,” it added.One of the staff members suffered a spinal fracture and jaw injuries. The videos went viral a week later.As per Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on unruly passengers, misconduct is categorised into three levels: up to three months of ban for Level 1, up to six months for Level 2, and a minimum of two years or more for Level 3 offences.The rules also allow aggrieved passengers to go up to an appellate committee within 60 days. That committee is headed by a retired district/sessions judge, and includes a representative from another airline, besides one from a passenger/consumer body. The committee must decide the case within 30 days, and its decision is binding on the airline.The action comes at a time when the number of passengers barred from flying has been steadily rising.India has placed 379 passengers on the no-fly list in the last five years, according to data shared by the civil aviation ministry in Parliament. While only 10 people were placed on the list in 2020, the number steadily rose; and till July 30 this year, 48 passengers had already been banned.An FIR was registered in this matter, while the airline wrote to the ministry, too, appraising them about the murderous assault on its staff and had requested appropriate action against the passenger. The airline had also secured the CCTV footage of the incident from the airport authorities and handed it over to the police.