Air India stands firm on its decision of banning Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad as it once again cancelled his ticket last week. Sources said the MP tried to book a Mumbai-Delhi AI flight through a call centre, and wanted to fly AI 806 at 8 am on Wednesday. A senior AI official said, “We have standing instructions not to allow the honourable MP on any of our flights. He can try to get his open tickets endorsed on our flights (meaning get confirmation to fly on a particular flight) but will not be able to fly.”
AI is amongst other airlines that have decided not to allow Gaikwad on their flights. Private players like Jet, IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir, and Vistara, remain adamant despite massive pressure from the political class to have the ban revoked. After being turned down by all airlines, the MP is said to have taken the Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani. Even the Aviation Ministry faces heat to get airlines to start flying Gaikwad again. “We will not take a stand on this case and are looking at the issue in entirety whether airlines can ban a person indefinitely from flying under existing rules. We will soon have a national no fly list that will bar people from flying from varying periods of times for different offences,” said a senior ministry official.
All airlines claim to be on “high alert” as Gaikwad plans to be in New Delhi on Wednesday and will try to fly. “Luckily his is not a common name. We will run checks on any Ravindra Gaikwad booking a ticket, especially on sectors where he is likely to try to fly on, to ensure that the 'honourable' MP does not get on our flights,” a private airline official.
Angry at being given an economy class seat in a flight with no business class section, Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad beat up an airline staffer with his slippers “25 times”. “The MP had a business class coupon. His office was clearly told that AI 852 was an all-economy flight that did not have a business class. There were two other Pune-Delhi flights which had business class,” informed a senior AI official.
On his way to Delhi with the Parliament in session, trouble began when the flight landed. “After the plane landed, he did not alight from it for half an hour or so. He was angry at being made to travel in economy despite having a business class coupon. Our ground staff repeatedly requested him to alight from the plane as the aircraft had to be dispatched for another flight,” an official said. He reportedly became so agitated, he took off his slipper and beat up one of the AI ground staffers requesting him to get off the plane.
Making matters worse for himself, Gaikwad boasted of his doing. “I am not a BJP MP. I am a Shiv Sena MP and will not tolerate any insult. Let the employee complain. I will complain to the Speaker and other authorities.”
