- Airport to Cockpit Surveillance
- No appeal in national security matters
New Delhi. To make air travel more safe and disciplined, India’s civil aviation regulator (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has issued a new draft of the rules. Under the proposed ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’, immediate and strict action will now be taken against any kind of indiscipline from the airport premises to inside the aircraft. This step has been taken following the increasing incidents of misbehavior on flights and in terminal areas in recent times.
The specialty of the new system is that monitoring of discipline will not be limited only within the aircraft. Passenger behavior will be monitored at every location – ticket checking counter, security check area, restrooms and departure gates. If any passenger shows signs of aggression or disturbance, the airline personnel will immediately report it. If necessary, such passengers can be stopped from flying by calling law enforcement agencies. Thus now the emphasis will be on ‘prevention before the incident’ instead of ‘action after the incident’.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has directed all airlines to prepare detailed standard procedures for their frontline staff and cabin crew. Through regular training, employees will be taught how to de-escalate a stressful situation, when to sound the alarm and when to involve security agencies. The objective is to ensure that small complaints do not escalate into major conflicts and that the safety of passengers, aircrew and aircraft be maintained at all costs.
Special provision has also been made in the draft regarding national security.
If the Home Ministry considers a person a risk to the security of the country, his name can be put in the flight ban list. There will be no provision for appeal in such cases and the list will not be made public. As long as the concerned agency keeps a person in the risk category, the air travel ban will remain in effect. This provision clearly indicates that there will be no laxity in security matters.
Indisciplined behavior is divided into four levels. The first level includes incidents such as abusive language, obscene gestures or drunken rioting. The second level includes serious incidents such as pushing, assault or inappropriate touching and sexual harassment. In the third level, acts like damaging the aircraft, strangulation or deadly attack have been kept. The fourth and most serious level relates to attempted forced entry into the pilot cabin or flight crew cabin. Penalties will be decided based on these categories – ranging from a flying ban for a period of time to a lifetime ban.
However, the regulator has also acknowledged the need to maintain a balance. It has been recognized that many times passenger dissatisfaction increases due to poor service, flight delays or complaints being ignored. Therefore, airlines have been instructed to take the initial complaints of passengers seriously and find solutions through dialogue. It has also been made clear that under no circumstances will the airline staff behave rudely with the passengers, especially when the passenger is raising a legitimate complaint.
Experts believe that this step is not just a punitive mechanism, but an important initiative towards strengthening the overall security of air travel. Suggestions have been invited from concerned parties on the draft. After the final notification is issued, all airlines will have to update their functioning within the stipulated time and submit compliance report. It is clear that now discipline will be paramount in air travel. This is a message to every passenger traveling in the sky that no compromise with safety and dignity will be accepted.
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