New Delhi: National air career Air India today lifted its ban on Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, whose flight bookings had been cancelled repeatedly after he assaulted an officer last month.
Official sources told media persons that the ban was lifted after the Civil Aviation Ministry wrote to the airline, a day after Gaikwad expressed “regrets” over the March 23 incident.
The sources said the Ministry took the decision after the MP assured that such incidents won’t be repeated.
The decision came after the aviation ministry today ordered the Air India to immediately lift the two-week-old ban on grounded MP Ravindra Gaikwad.
The airline complied with the order and now private airlines, which were waiting for AI’s decision, will follow suit.
The government move came despite the AI management telling the aviation ministry on Thursday that Gaikwad must apologise to the airline and its employees. AI cabin crew termed him a flight risk and the pilots said they did not want to fly him unless he apologised.
However, disregarding this, the aviation ministry has issued a missive to AI to lift the ban on the MP. The ministry accepted Gaikwad’s ‘regret’ letter issued to aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Thursday in which he had said that his earlier behaviour should not be seen as an indicator that such things will happen again.
Gaikwad had been banned by Air India and then all private airlines like IndiGo, Jet, SpiceJet and GoAir, on March 24-a day after he beat up a 60-year-old AI staffer with sandals and tried to throw him off the plane at Delhi Airport.
Shiv Sena on Thursday had threatened that it will stop flights in Mumbai and skip the dinner hosted by PM Modi next Monday unless their lawmaker is back on planes.
