Aviation regulator DGCA said on June 8 that airlines should de-board any passenger before departure if they refuse to wear a face mask inside an aircraft despite warnings.
If a passenger refuses to wear or follow a mask COVID-19 The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a circular that airlines can debar them from flying for a certain period of time by classifying them as “uncontrolled passengers” while flying in mid-air.
In addition, airport operators should seek the help of local police and security agencies and impose fines on people who do not wear face masks in terminals.
The circular followed the order of the Delhi High Court dated June 3, which had held that “the DGCA should issue separate binding instructions for all employees posted at airports and on board aircraft, including flight attendants, air hostesses, Capt. pilots and others. Action against passengers and others who violate masking and sanitisation norms”.
The court had said that all such persons violating the rules should be fined and the persistent defaulters should be kept on the no-fly list.
The DGCA’s June 8 circular said airlines should ensure that passengers wear masks properly on flights and they are removed from the faces only “in exceptional circumstances and for permissible reasons”.
If a passenger requires an additional face mask, the airline will have to provide it, it noted.
“The airline shall ensure that if a passenger does not comply with the above instructions even after repeated warnings, he/she should be removed, if necessary, prior to departure.”
If a passenger refuses to wear a mask or violates COVID-19 protocol The circular states that even after giving repeated warnings in-flight in between, they can be treated as “unruly passengers” as defined in DGCA rules.
The DGCA rules empower airlines to restrict passengers for a certain period after they are declared “unregulated”.
It said that the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and other police personnel posted at the entrance of the airport should ensure that no one is allowed to enter the premises without wearing a mask.
All airport operators should increase announcements and surveillance to ensure that passengers at the terminal wear face masks properly and follow COVID-appropriate behavior at all times within airport premises.
“If a passenger does not wear a mask or refuses to wear a mask and follows the COVID-19 protocol, he should be fined as per the law of the respective state where the airport is located and also handed over to the security agencies can go,” it said. ,
Airport operators should take hygiene measures at airports and provide hand sanitizers or dispensers at prominent locations in terminals.
“Furthermore, the airport operators with the help of local police and security agencies will impose fines on those violating the COVID-19 protocols as per the state rules for violation of the COVID-19 protocols,” it added.
When the Center resumed scheduled domestic flights on May 25, 2020 after a two-month-long lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DGCA recommended wearing of masks and other COVID-19 protocols for passengers at the airport and inside the aircraft. Compliance was made mandatory. ,