DGCA imposes Rs 10-lakh penalty on Go First for 9 January incident

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday imposed a Rs 10-lakh fine on Go First for leaving behind 55 Delhi-bound passengers at Bengaluru airport on January 9.

This is the third case of an airline getting penalised for lapses. The DGCA had issued a show-cause notice to Go First following the incident. 

"Go First’s reply reveals that there was improper communication, coordination between terminal coordinator, commercial staff and crew regarding boarding of passengers in the aircraft. The airline failed to ensure adequate arrangement for ground handling, preparation of load and trim sheet, flight dispatch and passenger/cargo handling," DGCA said in a statement.

The bags of the 55 passengers were also not offloaded from the aircraft as per standard operating procedures.

In the incident, the Delhi-bound passengers were being transported in four coaches. The ground staff, which carried the load and trim sheet, boarded the fourth coach and reached the aircraft before the arrival of the third coach that had got stuck on the way. Thus, the pilots and the crew were informed of all passengers being on board, while 55 of them were stuck in a bus.