New Delhi - Referring to a video making the rounds on social media, of a passenger smoking aboard a SpiceJet aircraft, the airline said that the issue was probed, and the necessary action was taken on the matter.
The passenger was put on a “no flying list” by the airline for 15 days in February this year, said a SpiceJet spokesperson.
"The matter had been investigated thoroughly in January 2022 when the video was brought to our notice and a complaint had been filed by the airline with the Udyog Vihar police station in Gurugram.
“The video, the investigation had revealed, was shot on January 20 while passengers were boarding the flight SG 706 scheduled to operate from Dubai to Delhi," said the SpiceJet spokesperson.
#NDTVBeeps | Viral: Influencer Bobby Kataria Smoking Inside SpiceJet Plane pic.twitter.com/P6TFfhwrMU
— NDTV (@ndtv) August 11, 2022
The airline said that the said passenger and his co-passengers shot the video in the 21st row of seating - when the cabin crew were occupied with completing the on-boarding procedure.
"None of the passengers or crew was aware of the act. The matter came to the airline's notice on January 24 through social media posts," it added.
The matter was referred to the Internal Committee, constituted as per the provisions of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on the handling of unruly passengers. The said passenger was put on a “no flying list” by the airline for 15 days in February.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia directed the concerned authorities to probe the person who, in violation of rules, lit up a cigarette and smoked on an aircraft.
Responding to a video on Twitter, Scindia said: "Investigating it. There will be no tolerance towards such hazardous behaviour."