Akasa Air fined ₹10 lakh by DGCA for not compensating passengers

Aviation regulator DGCA has slapped a ₹10 lakh penalty on Akasa Air for failing to provide compensation on time to some passengers who were denied boarding at the Bangalore airport in September, according to a source.

In recent months, the more than two-and-a-half-year-old airline has come under the scanner of the regulator for certain alleged violations.

Earlier this month, some pilots had also flagged concerns about training at the carrier, which has termed the allegations as baseless.

The latest action by the DGCA pertains to the denial of boarding of seven passengers who had booked a flight from Bangalore to Pune on September 6.

The aircraft, which was to operate the flight, was grounded on account of foreign object damage and the replacement aircraft had nine non-operational seats as a result of which seven passengers were denied boarded, the source told on Tuesday.

Later, the passengers were moved to an Indigo flight with a scheduled departure time of 2240 hours which was more than one hour of the scheduled departure time of the actual Akasa flight.

The source said that no compensation was paid to the passengers which was non-compliance with DGCA norms.