Several Indian airlines have been demanding a no-fly list of disruptive passengers following an incident in which Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad allegedly hit an Air India staffer with his slipper "25 times" over not being given a business class seat in an all-economy plane.The amended Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) or rules on "handling of unruly passengers" announced on Friday by the government come into effect immediately.The no-fly list will be compiled by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA ) based on inputs from various airlines. It will maintain the record of all blacklisted passengers.The quantum of punishment is based on the severity of offence, which has been divided into three categories.This includes "unruly physical gestures, verbal harassment and unruly inebriation" which can lead to a ban of up to three monthsa ban of 3 monthsThe second level is for "physically abusive behaviour (pushing, kicking, hitting, inappropriate touching, sexual harassment)" with a flying ban of up to months.The last, and most serious, includes "physical violence such as choking, eye gouging, murderous assault, damage to aircraft systems, attempted or actual breach of the flight crew compartment" with a ban ranging from two years to a lifetime. * If the probe is not concluded within the time-frame, the passenger will be "free to fly". * However, the airline "may" impose a ban while it is probing the matter for a period not exceeding 30 days.Other domestic carriers "will not be bound by the no-fly list of an airline", implying that they are free to decide whether or not to bar a passenger already banned by one of the airlines for his/her misconduct.A passenger barred from flying can approach an appellate committee constituted by the ministry within a period of 60 days. The decision of this committee will be final but if the appellant is dissatisfied he or she can approach the high court.

Source: Times of India September 08, 2017 14:48 UTC