IndiGO flight and Mumbai airport fined Rs 1.5 cr and 90 lakh over passengers eating on apron

IndiGo and Mumbai airport were asked to pay a fine of Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 90 lakh respectively over the incident where passengers sat on the tarmac and ate food while waiting for their delayed flight. The penalty imposed on IndiGo is the highest amount the airline has had to pay in recent times.

The fines were imposed on IndiGo and the Mumbai airport by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). DGCA asked both entities to pay a fine of Rs 30 lakh while BCAS imposed a fine of Rs 1.2 crore on IndiGo and Rs 60 lakh on Mumbai airport.

The DGCA said the presence of



passengers on an "active apron" for a considerable amount of time was against the norms and could have jeopardised the people and the aircraft. The incident involved passengers of an IndiGo flight 6E 2195 from Goa to Delhi.

They were already frustrated after their flight got delayed and when it diverted to Mumbai due to fog, the passengers rushed out on the tarmac, the Mumbai Airport had said earlier.

Meanwhile, the DGCA also slapped fines on Air India and SpiceJet for violating norms concerning rostering of pilots trained to fly during low visibility (CAT III trained). Both airlines were asked to pay Rs 30 lakh by the DGCA.