Visakhapatnam/New Delhi: Indigo Airlines, Spicejet and Air India on Thursday barred TD Anantapur MP J.C. Diwakar Reddy from taking their flights after he threw a temper tantrum at the Visakhapatnam airport on Thursday.
The MP had arrived late to board an IndiGo flight to Hyderabad. Denied a boarding pass, the MP allegedly damaged the property of the airline and abused the staff. Following a ruckus, the airline gave him a boarding pass.
The flight that was supposed to take off at 8.10 am was delayed by a few minutes. The doors that were closed were opened for the MP, a rarity.
Sources said civil aviation minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju was in the VVIP lounge when the incident occurred.
The airlines barring the MP follows the government proposing strict action against misbehaving airline passengers after Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad had slapped an Air India staffer a couple of months ago.
Diwakar screams his way through for boarding pass
Speaking to the media in Hyderabad, the MP said. “I just put my hand around the shoulder of the airlines staff in a friendly manner but the media has shown something wrong and defamed me.” He refused to comment on CCTV footage that showed Reddy pulling out a printer and abusing the airlines staff.
With the echoes of the misbehaviour of Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad with Air India personnel still to die away, TD Anantapur MP J.C. Diwakar Reddy threw a temper tantrum at the Visakhapatnam airport on Thursday.
Last year, he had reached the Gannavaram airport of Vijayawada 15 minutes before the flight departure and was denied a boarding pass.
In a rage, he had allegedly barged into the Air India office and damaged the furniture.
On Thursday, the MP reached the airport at 7.42 am, 28 minutes before Indigo 6E-608 was supposed to take off for Hyderabad. Normally when MPs and MLAs take a flight, their personal staff collect the boarding pass much earlier and inform the airline about the VIP’s scheduled travel. However, on Thursday the airline staff didn’t receive any information about his schedule.
Sources said that when he reached the counter, the airline staffer informed him that check-in for the flight had closed.
Diwakar Reddy got angry and abused the staffer. He then barged into Indigo manager V. Mallik’s room and demanded a boarding pass.
Even as airport and airline staffers tried to get him out of the room, airport director G. Prakash Reddy and chief security officer K. Venugopal rushed to the scene and pacified the MP and had the boarding pass issued.
Diwakar Reddy flew on the flight along with other VIP including AP Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao and GMR group chairman G. Mallikarjuna Rao..
“There was no damage to the airport or airline and nothing has happened. I have not received any complaint from the airline”, said Mr Prakash Reddy said. “There was no complaint of any unruly incident at Vizag airport and we have not received any formal and written complaint against anyone”, said ACP (North) B Bheema Rao.
IndiGo confirmed the incident of unruly behaviour of the MP. After he was denied a boarding pass and offered accommodation on another flight, “Reddy expressed his annoyance and soon raged against the staff using aggressive and abusive behaviour,” it said.
