Couple gets married mid-air in SpiceJet flight, DGCA starts probe
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has started investigations into a “mid-air” marriage onboard a private chartered plane that happened in Madurai.
A couple and their families defied COVID-19 appropriate protocol and got married mid-air in a SpiceJet B737 flight. As per the pictures available on Twitter, none of the passengers on board the aircraft was wearing masks or face shields.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has initiated an investigation into the matter and the crew of the flight has been off rostered. The regulator has also asked SpiceJet to file complaints with relevant authorities against those who did not followCOVID-19 appropriate protocol.
"We are looking into this and shall take strict action," a senior DGCA official said.
The extravagant ceremony came while Tamil Nadu is under lockdown and seeing an increasing number of COVID-19 cases each day. Tamil Nadu reported 35,843 new cases in the past 24 hours and would be going under a strict seven-day lockdown until May 30.
SpiceJet said that its aircraft was chartered by a travel agent in Madurai on May 23, 2021 for a group of passengers for a joy ride post their wedding.
"The client was clearly briefed on COVID-19 guidelines to be followed and denied permission for any activity to be performed on board. The approval for this flight was taken as a joy ride for the wedding group. The group was repeatedly briefed on the safety norms to be followed by the operating cabin crew and advised to follow the protocols laid down by DGCA including restrictions on photography and videography," SpiceJet spokesperson said.
"Despite repeated requests and reminders the passengers did not follow COVID-19 guidelines and the airline is taking appropriate action as per rules," the spokesperson added.
(Edited by : Pradeep Suresh V)
First Published: May 24, 2021 3:12 PM IST
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