DGCA imposes fine of Rs 10 lakh on Akasa Air

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

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 due to foreign object damage and replacement aircraft had nine non-operational seats as a result of which seven passengers were denied boarding, the source said 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.