Passengers Eat On The Runway Of Delayed Flights, This Airline Is Fined IDR 2.2 Billion

Illustration of the IndiGo fleet of aircraft. (Wikimedia Commons/Md Shaifuzzaman Aion)

India's low-cost Indian airline was fined 12 million rupees (IDR 2,253,506,682), for endangering the safety of passengers seen eating on the runway of Mumbai Airport, when the flight was delayed.

A viral video on social media this week shows passengers eating on the runway beside the plane, after the IndiGo flight that took them from Goa to Delhi was diverted and landed in Mumbai, after a long delay.

The incident occurred on January 14. The plane was reportedly placed in a remote parking lot, not near the airport terminal, causing frustration among passengers who had not yet received a drink.

The Civil Aviation Safety Bureau (BCAS), the regulatory authority under the federal government, has imposed a fine of 12 million rupees against the airline. It gave the airline a month to pay the fine.

They also imposed a fine of six million rupees on Mumbai International Airport managers for mismanagement. Both IndiGo and airport companies failed to report the incident, BCAS said.

The fine was dropped after the country's aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, learned of the video and called it a "arrogant disciplinary" offense.

Apron is an area where the plane is parked, demolished or loaded, refueled, climbed or treated. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation also imposed a fine of three million rupees on Mial, airport manager.

"This violates Para 5 Air Safety Circular of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation which ordered all agencies working at airports not to allow running on active aprons," said Directorate General of Civil Aviation, reported The National News January 18.

"The presence of passengers on the apron for a long time is a violation of the apron discipline, because it endangers the safety of passengers and planes," the agency continued.

Separately, regulators have also fined two other airlines, Air India and SpiceJet, three million rupees each for poor preparation during the fog that caused delays.

India's aviation industry has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, due to the many delays and cancellations that airlines say are due to fog.

More than 300 flights have reportedly been canceled since January 14, causing more than 40,000 passengers to be stranded. The average delay is more than an hour.

More than 50 flights were canceled, including departures and international arrivals, while 120 flights were delayed on Wednesday at Delhi's international airport, as seen on the display screen of flight information.

The aviation ministry has set up handling rooms at six airports in the country, to help facilitate anxious passengers and address the situation.