The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has taken action against Mumbai airport and IndiGo following a video that went viral on social media, showing passengers eating on the tarmac after their Delhi-bound flight (6E2195) was diverted to Mumbai due to poor visibility in the national capital on Sunday night.

On Tuesday, BCAS issued show cause notices to Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) for violating norms and to IndiGo for mistreating passengers by failing to provide basic amenities during the flight diversion.

According to the notices, both IndiGo and MIAL were not proactive in anticipating the situation and arranging appropriate facilitation for passengers at the airport.

After the video gained attention, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia convened a midnight meeting with ministry officials. In the early hours of January 16, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) announced the issuance of show-cause notices to IndiGo and Mumbai Airport.

Both entities are required to respond to the notices today, with the ministry warning of financial penalties if they fail to do so. MIAL specifically received a show cause notice for not reporting the incident to the relevant authorities.

IndiGo responded in an official statement, acknowledging the show cause notice and mentioning that they have initiated an internal inquiry to address the issue.

The incident occurred when the flight landed in Mumbai at 11:21 pm, and passengers were seen dining on the apron area. Those seated in the apron area were later directed to board another flight (6E2091) without following security screening protocols.

BCAS rules stipulate that after deboarding, passengers must reach the arrival area and clear Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) security checks to access the boarding area. The failure to report the incident to BCAS is considered a violation of Rule 51 of the Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023, as per MoCA.

BCAS also noted that the aircraft was assigned to remote bay 'C-33' instead of a Contact Stand, depriving passengers of basic facilities such as restrooms and refreshments at the terminal. The government is actively investigating the matter, emphasizing the importance of adhering to safety and passenger welfare protocols.

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