The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) informed the Delhi High Court on Wednesday that action was being taken against passengers who refuse to wear masks properly, including de-boarding from planes before departure or treating as “unruly passengers” during flight.
A Bench of Justices Navin Chawla and C. Hari Shankar said they were satisfied with the steps taken by the DGCA and decided to close the case initiated by the court itself on the protocol to be maintained by the passengers and the crew to curb spread of COVID-19.
Justice Shankar had on March 8 passed a slew of guidelines to be followed by airlines, staff and passengers after he witnessed an alarming situation during the Air India flight from Kolkata to New Delhi on March 5, 2021.
“It was noticed that, though all the passengers had worn masks, many had worn the masks below the chin and were exhibiting a stubborn reluctance to wear the masks properly,” the judge said.
The DGCA on Wednesday stated that following the court’s directions, it had issued a circular on March 13 on the guidelines to be followed in airports.
“On board the aircraft, in case any passenger does not adhere to wearing of mask properly even after repeated warnings, he/ she should be de-boarded, if need be, before departure,” the circular stated.
“In case, any passenger on board an aircraft refuses to wear mask or violates the ‘COVID-19 Protocol for passengers’ even after repeated warnings, during the course of the fight, such passenger may be treated as ‘Unruly Passenger’ as defined ... under Civil Aviation Requirements [CAR] ... and the procedure in respect of handling such unruly passenger, as provided in above mentioned CAR, shall be followed by the concerned airlines,” it said.
The DGCA’s circular also stated that passengers shall wear masks and maintain social distancing norms at all times during air travel. The mask shall not be moved below the nose except under exceptional circumstances, it said.
“CISF or other police personnel deployed at the entrance of the airport shall ensure that no one is allowed to enter the airport without wearing a mask,” it said.
The circular also said that the Airport Director/ Terminal Manager, as applicable, must ensure that passengers are wearing masks properly and do maintain social distance at all times within the airport premises.
In case, any passenger is not following ‘COVID-19 Protocol’, they should be handed over to security agencies after proper warning. If required, they may be dealt as per law, it said.
Published - March 17, 2021 11:00 pm IST
