Flight Delayed Even After Boarding? You Can Now De-Board & Exit Via Departure Gate: New Directive

With flight delays getting more frequent by the day in India, the Aviation security watchdog, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), has issued new guidelines that allow passengers to exit through the departure gate even after boarding.

New directive: Guidelines in case of flight delays

The latest BCAS directive, which came on March 30, states the following:

• Passengers will now have the permission to exit through the departure gate of the airport in the event of extended delays or other emergencies subsequent to boarding.
• If the airline does not initiate passenger de-boarding voluntarily, airport security personnel will oversee the situation and instruct passengers accordingly, said BCAS Director General Zulfiquar Hasan.
• He also clarified that airport operators are responsible for arranging the necessary infrastructure, including screening facilities, to implement the guidelines.
• The directive, however, does not include any thresholds for deboarding to be mandatory.

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Why was the directive introduced?

“We issued the orders to both the airlines and airport operators to ensure that the passengers don’t have to sit in the aircraft for long when a flight is delayed,” said BCAS Director General Zulfiquar Hasan.

This directive is set to bring relief to all passengers, especially those flying during winter, as dense fog often leaves fully boarded planes stuck in departure queues.

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However it does not address one pertinent aspect - Airlines avoid unloading passengers because flights are only placed in the departure queue after doors are closed.?

Deboarding passengers means the flight loses its place in the queue, which becomes especially challenging when multiple flights are delayed due to factors like fog.

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In other related updates, Vistara, the full-service carrier jointly owned by the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, has experienced a surge in flight cancellations, with up to 50 cancellations currently, anticipated to rise to 70 by Tuesday. Vistara has reportedly encountered challenges with its crew due to substantial salary reductions.

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