Ramdas Athawale not allowed to board Jet Airways aircraft for arriving late

MUMBAI: RPI(A) chief Ramdas Athawale was today allegedly not allowed to board a Jet Airways aircraft despite the airline having issued boarding pass to him, prompting irked party workers to protest outside the private carrier's office here.

Athawale had to board the Jet Airways aircraft 9W 313 this morning scheduled at 5.15 AM. He had planned his journey from Mumbai to Aurangabad from where he was scheduled to go to Maharashtra's Beed district to attend the funeral of deceased activist Eknath Ahvad.

"The flight was scheduled to take off at 5.15 AM and I reached at airport 27 minutes before departure and got the boarding pass also. But I was shocked to hear from the ground staff that I cannot get entry into the plane as I was late by 4-5 minutes," Athawale told PTI.

The leader said that being a frequent and disciplined flyer with Jet Airways, he should have been allowed to travel.

"I will file a complaint with Aviation Minister and also raise this issue in Rajya Sabha," Athawale said.

Later, Jet Airways' spokesperson issued a statement and denied the allegations.

"Jet Airways airport staff had briefed the guest's protocol team in advance about the departure time of the flight to ensure on-time boarding. Unfortunately, the guest could not reach the airport in time. We offered to make alternate arrangements for his travel," the statement said.

Later, some RPI(A) workers held a demonstration outside the Jet Airways' office here and demanded an apology from the management.