Flyers Refusing To Wear Mask Properly During Flight To Be Deplaned, Could Be Declared 'Unruly'

India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to take strict action against passengers who do not wear their masks "properly" despite repeated warnings.

The DGCA also directed airlines to treat a passenger as "unruly" in case the person violates the protocols, which means they could end up on the no-fly list.

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New rules

In a circular issued on Saturday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has also directed the airport operators to ensure that the passengers wear their mask and maintain social distancing norms at all times during the air travel.

The DGCA said it has been noticed that some travellers undertaking air journey do not adhere to "COVID-19 protocols", which essentially involve wearing of masks properly -- not below the nose, right from entering the departing airport to exiting from the arriving airport.

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Observing that some passengers after entering the airport do not wear their mask properly and maintain social distance while being in the airport, the regulator said that some passengers have been noticed not wearing their masks properly while on board the aircraft.

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¡ª DGCA (@DGCAIndia) March 13, 2021

"On board the aircraft, in case any passenger does not adhere to wearing a mask properly even after repeated warnings, he/she should be de-boarded, if need be, before departure," the circular said.

"In the case of any passenger on board an aircraft refusing to wear a mask or violates the 'COVID-19 Protocol for passengers' even after repeated warnings, during the course of the flight, such passengers may be treated as 'Unruly' passengers,¡± as per the DGCA.

The procedure in respect of handling such unruly passengers will be followed by the airline concerned as per the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), it added.

The circular said that the passengers will wear masks and maintain social distancing norms at all times during air travel, adding the mask shall not be moved below the nose except under exceptional circumstances.

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Directing the CISF/ police personnel deployed at the entrance of the airport to ensure that no one is allowed to enter the airport without wearing a mask, it said that chief airport security officer and other supervising officers must ensure this personally.

In case any passenger found violating COVID-19 protocols at the airport, they should be handed over to security agencies after proper warnings, directive said.

"If required, they may be dealt as per law," the circular added.

This comes at a time when the number of COVID-19 cases are once again on the rise in India.

Earlier this week, the Delhi High Court has issued guidelines to all airlines and the DGCA to take action against passengers who do not wear masks properly on flights.

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Justice C Hari Shankar who was on a flight saw fellow passengers on a Kolkata to New Delhi failing to follow the coronavirus guidelines and refusing to wear masks properly. He filed a suo motu writ petition and issued guidelines for immediate compliance.

The court directed DGCA to prominently display the instructions that are to be followed by passengers and in-flight crew in domestic flights. ¡°This shall be reflected on the main website of the DGCA, without requiring the person accessing the site to navigate through various links to reach the instructions. The DGCA will ensure that prominence, to the instructions, or to the weblink through which they can, by a single click, be accessed, is accorded, by displaying them in a distinct and different font, blinking or otherwise, or by any other suitable means,¡± the order said.