PremiumNEW DELHI: The crew of a chartered flight, operated by no-frills airline SpiceJet Limited, was de-rostered by civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), after passengers aboard the flight violated social distancing norms following mid-air wedding celebrations.
The DGCA has also sought a report from the airline and directed it to lodge complaints against the passengers who were on board the flight with relevant authorities, a senior official with the regulator said, requesting anonymity.
"We will look into this and take strict actions against those violating the law," the official added.
On Sunday, a Boeing 737 aircraft operated by Ajay Singh-controlled SpiceJet Limited was chartered by a travel agent in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, for a group of passengers for a joy-ride post a wedding, violating social distancing protocols put in place by the government amid a vicious second wave of covid-19 cases across the country. The group, which consisted of relatives and guests of the couple, also took photographs and videos of the celebrations on-board the flight.
"The agent and the guest passengers were briefed in detail, both in writing as well as verbally, on social distancing and safety norms to be followed as per Covid guidelines both at the airport and onboard the aircraft throughout the journey," said a SpiceJet spokesperson.
"Despite repeated requests and reminders, the passengers did not follow Covid guidelines and the airline is taking appropriate action as per rules," the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI)-operated Madurai airport said that while they were aware that a SpiceJet chartered flight was booked from Madurai on Sunday, they were unaware of the mid-air celebrations.
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