Hyderabad: Telugu Desam MP J.C. Diwakar Reddy who was banned from flying by all seven Indian domestic airlines more than a month ago, over his rowdy behaviour, heaved a sigh of relief after IndiGo airline decided to revoke its ban.
State-run Air India soon followed suit and reopened its doors for the member of Lok Sabha.
IndiGo, whose member of staff was at the receiving end of the MP’s abuses at Visakhapatnam airport on June 16, said it had reached an amicable settlement with the MP.
Apparently Y.S. Choudhary, a union minister of state who is a member of the TDP, played a crucial role in bringing the two sides together over lunch in New Delhi and bringing about a patch up.
Though details of the amicable settlement were not revealed, Diwakar Reddy told reporters he had not apologised to the airlines.
A brief statement issued by IndiGo said, “Senior IndiGo officials today met Honourable Member of Parliament Mr Diwakar Reddy, at a lunch hosted by senior Member of Parliament Mr Y.S. Chaudhary, to resolve the issue of Honourable Member Mr Diwakar Reddy’s ban on IndiGo flights. The issue is amicably resolved between the two and IndiGo has decided to lift the said ban with immediate effect and Mr Reddy is withdrawing the case he has filed.”
“The Federation of Indian Airlines has also been informed about the decision. IndiGo appreciates and thanks the member airlines for their continued support,” the statement said.
Diwakar Reddy, who had to fly on a chartered plane to New Delhi on Monday to attend the Parliament session, thanked all those who helped him in getting the ban revoked.
IndiGo and six other airlines had imposed the ban on Diwakar Reddy on June 16 after the MP created a ruckus at the Visakhapatnam Airport and manhandled an employee of the airline.
The MP was infuriated when the IndiGo check-in counter staff denied him a boarding pass as he had arrived late.
Civil aviation rules stipulate that passengers should report for boarding at least 45 minutes before the scheduled time of the flight.
The MP had come 28 minutes before the flight’s departure time, and when boarding was refused he vandalised the counter and also pushed the staff.
Though he finally managed to secure a boarding pass and flew to Hyderabad through some back room manoeuvring, the seven airlines decided to bar him from flying.
The civil aviation ministry had ordered a probe into the incident.
Diwakar Reddy had knocked on the doors of the High Court but the court had refused to issue an interim order to lift the ban.
He was second MP to be put on no-fly list by the domestic airline.
Earlier a Shiv Sena MP, Ravindra Gaikwad, was also banned by airline after he had beat up an Air India official with his slippers as he was not provided a seat in Business Class when that particular flight did not have a Business Class in the first place. Later the ban was revoked.