Air India revokes flight ban on Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad with immediate effect

NEW DELHI: National carrier Air India on Friday revoked the flying ban on Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, with other private carriers likely to follow suit.

“The ban placed by Air India on Gaikwad has been lifted with immediate effect. The ministry of civil aviation has directed us to lift the ban in view of the apology tendered to the minister,” said an airline statement. Gaikwad had sent a ‘letter of regret’ to the aviation minister on Thursday.

Air India, however, added that it “remains committed to ensure that its employees are not assaulted and neither misbehaved with by any passenger and would always take strong action to preserve the dignity of its employees at all times.”

A truce was reached at a meeting called by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in Parliament on Thursday. Home minister Rajnath Singh, aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju and heavy industries and public enterprises minister Anant Geete of the Shiv Sena, attended.

Gaikwad became the first passenger in India’s aviation history to be banned by airlines two weeks ago, after he assaulted an Air India ground staffer on March 23.

ANOTHER MP CREATES RUCKUS
Meanwhile, another MP, Dola Sen of the Trinamool Congress, delayed a Delhi-Kolkata Air India flight by about 40 minutes on Friday. The Rajya Sabha member and two others booked tickets via a travel portal, paying extra for front row seats. All three were allocated in the emergency exit row. One of the passengers, however, turned out to be on a wheelchair at the time of boarding. Wheelchairs not being allowed in the emergency exit row, “cabin crew said that passenger can’t travel on the emergency seats. Sen started screaming.

Air India commercial staff offered the wheelchair-bound passenger a business class seat but she refused,” said a statement by the national carrier. The aircraft departed 39 minutes late after passengers and the captain intervened.