Update (17/6/2017): AirAsia, GoAir, Jet Airways and Vistara have also come on board and banned TDP MP JC Diwakar Reddy from flying on their flights as of Friday morning.
IndiGo Airlines, SpiceJet and Air India have as of Thursday barred TDP MP JC Diwakar Reddy from flying. On Thursday he threw a tantrum at Visakhapatnam Airport. The Anantapur MP had arrived too late to board an IndiGo flight to Hyderabad and when the airline officials denied to hand him his boarding pass he damaged their property and abused the staff.
The airline had no choice but to hand him the boarding pass after the tantrum he threw and the flight that was supposed to take off at 08:10 AM was delayed. Reportedly, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju was in the VVIP lounge when the incident occurred. Aviation regulation norms state that all check-in counters for domestic flights should close 45 minutes before departure and the MP had reached 28 minutes before.
Later, the MP proudly told media that he boarded the same flight and alleged that airlines have become like buses, selling their tickets for a higher price. He further stated that there was no reason for him to apologise as he was merely talking to the staff in a ‘friendly manner’ and that the media had twisted the story.
He refused to comment on the footage of him throwing the printer and abusing airline staff. Usually when MPs and MLAs board flights, their staff collect the boarding pass and inform the airline staff about the VIPs travel. However, IndiGo had not received any such information about his schedule.
When the airline staff refused him the boarding pass he barged into the IndiGo manager’s room and demanded to be given a boarding pass. Airport Director G Prakash Reddy and Chief Security Officer K Venugopal pacified the MP and had his boarding pass issued. An IndiGo spokesperson reportedly confirmed the incident.
This is not the MP’s first misbehaviour with airline staff. Last October he had barged into the Air India office at Gnnavaram Airport in Vijayawada and damaged furniture after he missed his flight.
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