The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show cause notice to IndiGo and the Adani Group-owned Mumbai Airport after a viral video showed passengers eating and sitting on the airport tarmac at the airport.

What Happened: The notices require responses by January 16, and an unsatisfactory or non-reply may result in enforcement action, including financial penalties, the ministry said.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia convened a meeting with ministry officials after the video went viral and issued notices to the parties involved.

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The ministry stated that the flight operation was executed without considering passenger convenience and laid-down norms. It criticised IndiGo and Mumbai Airport for not being proactive in anticipating the situation.

In the widely shared video, passengers on an IndiGo Goa-Delhi flight were seen eating on the airport tarmac at Mumbai Airport after the flight was diverted due to dense fog at Delhi Airport. IndiGo apologised for the inconvenience and assured customers that steps would be taken to avoid such incidents in the future.

A spokesperson for IndiGo explained that passengers were cordoned off into a safety zone by the airport operator and security personnel as they refused to board the airline coach to proceed to the terminal building. The airline assured that passengers were kept under strict watch until further actions were taken.

The incident raised concerns about security lapses, as airport tarmacs are not meant for passenger encroachment. IndiGo has faced criticism on social media for struggling to maintain punctuality in adverse weather conditions, with passengers attributing some of the challenges to poor planning at airports and by carriers.

To address such issues, the Civil Aviation Ministry instructed operators and airlines to take proactive measures. Measures include expediting the operationalisation of a 4th runway at Delhi Airport and the issuance of standard operating procedures (SOP) by DGCA to enhance communication and facilitate passengers during flight cancellations and delays caused by adverse weather conditions.

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