Order of the Delhi High Court regarding use of mask in flights, 08/03/2021
Order of the Delhi High Court in the matter of Court On Its Own Motion Vs Directorate General of Civil Aviation & Others dated 08/03/2021.
The matter related to use of masks while travelling in planes. It was seen that during the Air India flight from Kolkata to New Delhi on March 5, 2021, though all the passengers had worn masks, many passengers had worn the mask below their chin and were "exhibiting a stubborn reluctance to wear their masks properly".
The High Court of Delhi comprising the bench of Justice C. Hari Shankar issued guidelines for immediate compliance by all airlines as well as by the DGCA. The guidelines include the DGCA to put on the website instructions containing the guidelines and protocols to be followed by passengers and in-flight crew in domestic flights.
The airlines have been directed that in the event of any passenger unwilling to follow the appropriate COVID-19 protocols prior to the flight taking off, the passenger should be offloaded without delay. Further, if a passenger, despite being reminded more than once in flight, refuse to follow the protocols, action should be taken against the passenger in accordance with the guidelines issued by the DGCA or Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, including placing the passenger on a “no-fly” regimen, either permanently or for a stipulated, sufficiently long, period.