Indian airline SpiceJet feels heat as couple flout Covid-19 rules with mid-air 'wedding' attended by 160 people

The Indian airline SpiceJet is feeling the heat after a young couple chartered one of its jets for a mid-air wedding ceremony with more than 160 guests, many of whom flouted Covid-19 restrictions.

Photographs and video footage of the wedding have gone viral on social media, prompting widespread criticism of the couple and the Indian aviation regulator to de-roster the crew and direct the airline to make a formal complaint against the passengers.

Critics say the ceremony on Sunday was particularly insensitive given India is grappling with a devastating second wave of Covid-19 pandemic in which it has been reporting more than 200,000 infections per day. The couple’s hometown of Madurai, in the state of Tamil Nadu, is reporting more than 1,300 cases a day, while the state itself reported more than 34,000 cases and 468 Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday alone

Epidemiologist Jayaprakash Muliyil said that it was “unsafe” to gather in such a large number in a closed space where people were either wearing the masks below the chin or not wearing them at all.

“Since there is no clarity over whether the passengers took a test before boarding the flight, it is difficult to say that none of them carried the infection,” Muliyil said. “It was also not fair to expose the crew members to the risk.”

In one video of the ceremony, the groom, Rakesh, ties a sacred thread around the neck of the bride, Dakshina, while the Bangalore-bound plane flies over the revered Meenakshi Amman Temple in Tamil Nadu.

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Local media reported the couple had performed their real wedding last week at a ceremony where they were allowed only 50 guests, as per Covid-19 protocols, then took to the skies for a second ritual with more than triple that number.

SpiceJet said the passengers had been briefed about Covid-19 guidelines and were “denied permission for any activity to be performed on board”, but that “despite repeated requests and reminders” these guidelines were ignored.

Some social media users demanded the couple be “fined” while others hoped the passengers would contract the virus as “punishment”.

The airline, which was forced to suspend two pilots after crew members were seen performing a 2.5-minute jig on the occasion of Holi seven years ago, said it was “taking appropriate action as per the rules”.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India’s aviation regulator, two months ago asked airlines to deboard passengers who refused to wear their mask properly even after repeated warnings.

It said anyone who repeatedly ignored these warnings should be treated as an “unruly passenger”.

Under the guidelines, passengers refusing to follow the protocol can be placed on a no-fly list, either permanently or for a limited period.

As per pre-Covid rules, the DGCA can also put unruly passengers on no-fly lists for verbal abuse, physical assault or for life-threatening behaviour.

The wedding couple and their guests also flouted the DGCA’s restrictions on mid-air photography and videography by taking multiple photographs and videos while flying.

The DGCA has not responded to an email sent by This Week In Asia seeking clarity on its actions against the airline and the passengers.

However, aviation lawyer Nitin Sarin questioned whether the passengers could be put on a no-fly list, saying the current rules were aimed at unruly passengers who assaulted the crew or threatened to hijack the flight.

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“But this event seems to have been permitted by the crew and there is no sign of the crew trying to stop the passengers from performing the ceremony, as per the videos available on social media. So the passengers cannot be put on a no-fly list,” Sarin said.

“The aviation regulator has to investigate and raise charges against SpiceJet for violating the rules. Also, SpiceJet must inquire if the management was aware of this event or whether the crew allowed it on its own.”

Senior virologist T Jacob John, however, pointed out the numbers involved in the mid-air wedding were dwarfed by those at election rallies organised by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of Home Affairs Griha Mantri in states including Tamil Nadu recently, or those at the Kumbh Mela, a religious fair that took place at the peak of the second wave.

“If those massive superspreader outdoor events were allowed, there is nothing wrong in having a private wedding inside a flight,” John said, adding the government must spread more awareness on compulsory mask wearing and social distancing.

Said Muliyil: “Everywhere, people are more keen on flouting Covid-19 norms than following them.”

This article was first published in South China Morning Post.