New Delhi: The civil aviation regulator clarified on Sunday that there is no ban on taking selfies or videography on board passengers.
However, travelers may not use recording devices that create chaos or disruption during flight operation or are expressly prohibited by the crew or violate safety regulations, the DGCA said.
“A passenger in good faith who travels in an aircraft that is dedicated to scheduled air transport services may take still and video photographs from inside said aircraft while it is in flight, taking off and landing,” said the clarification of the General Directorate Civil Aviation.
On Saturday, the regulator had said that a scheduled flight would be suspended for a period of two weeks if someone is found taking pictures inside the plane.
Two days ago, the DGCA had asked IndiGo to take “the appropriate measures” after finding an alleged violation of security protocols and social distancing by the media on the airline’s Chandigarh-Mumbai flight that it had as a passenger. to actor Kangana Ranaut.
According to a video of the incident that took place inside the flight on September 9, reporters and cameramen jostled and huddled together to get a comment from Ranaut, who was sitting in one of the first rows of the plane.
Sunday’s DGCA order “clarified that a bona fide passenger traveling on an aircraft dedicated to scheduled air transport services can take still and video photographs from inside said aircraft while in flight; take off and land” according to your circular of December 9, 2004.
“However, this permit does not include the use of any recording equipment that endangers or compromises air safety; violates current regulations; creates chaos or interruptions during flight operation or is expressly prohibited by the crew,” said the order.
Actions can be taken against those who are found to be in violation of the above guidelines, the order added.
Sunday’s order is a clarification in addition to Saturday’s order that said: “It has been decided that from now on, in the event of any infraction (photograph) occurring on any scheduled passenger aircraft, the flight schedule for that route in particular, it will be suspended for a period of two weeks from the day after (the incident) “.
Saturday’s order established that, according to Rule 13 of the Aircraft Rules of 1937, no person can take photographs inside a flight, except when the DGCA or the Ministry of Civil Aviation grants permission.
According to the DGCA rules, an airline can include a “rogue passenger” on its “no-fly list” for a certain period of time after an internal investigation.
Regarding the Chandigarh-Mumbai flight incident, a DGCA official had said on Friday that the issues highlighted with the incident were related to “photographs on board in violation of aircraft rules 13, violation of COVID-19 protocols and certain actions that fall within the scope of rebellious behavior on board “.
Shiv Sena, who heads the alliance government in the state, and Ranaut had engaged in a war of words after she compared Mumbai to Pakistani-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and said she feared the Mumbai police more than to the supposed movie mafia.
On the morning of September 9, a team from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished the alterations allegedly made without the approval of the civic body at Ranaut’s bungalow on Pali Hill in Mumbai.
Ranaut arrived in Mumbai the same day after the demolition via the aforementioned IndiGo flight.
With PTI inputs
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