National carrier Air India has taken an extremely serious view of the matter concerning issuance of boarding passes in excess of the seating capacity on flight IC-179 from Mumbai to Mangalore on May 5, 2009.
Whilst the commander, co-pilot, and engineering personnel were de-rostered soon after the incident, employees involved in issuance of boarding passes for the extra passengers will also face strict disciplinary action. Commercial staff associated with preparation of load and trim sheet have been taken off this primary function. They were found guilty of having violated safety norms by allowing three extra passengers on board a fully-loaded Mumbai-Mangalore flight.
“We have de-rostered nine of our employees and have cancelled the license of the pilot and the co-pilot who have been found involved in the incident. We will take severe action against those found guilty,” said Jitender Bhargava, the carrier’s executive director of corporate communications.
India’s airline sector regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), discovered the safety breach when passengers had to be offloaded May 5 after the aircraft’s door was damaged.
Manual boarding passes
The investigation by the DGCA also proved that boarding passes were prepared manually, which is illegal. The process of ticketing is completely computerised and the system automatically stops generating passes once the flight is full.
A woman was accommodated in the cockpit’s jump seat behind the pilots, while two others were made to sit on folding seats meant for cabin crew.
According to the security norms, no one is allowed inside the cockpit — even cabin crews. This security procedure came into effect after the 9/11 terror strikes on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York.
Under the rules, the DGCA can also initiate criminal proceedings against Air India for putting at risk the lives of passengers.
Chairman and managing director, Arvind Jadhav, Air India, had directed the executive director-western region to investigate the incident in question and take immediate punitive action against those involved in issuing extra boarding passes and denying information/documents to DGCA.
Further, strict guidelines to Air India employees working in airports are being reiterated for ensuring that safety rules and regulations, as prescribed by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) or any other regulatory authority are judiciously followed and that in the event of any violation, howsoever minor, strict disciplinary action will be taken against those involved.
