Ditching masks could put flyers on no-fly list – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Flyers who refuse to wear face masks or similar covering on flights can be put on the no-fly list, DGCA director general Arun Kumar said on Thursday.
The period for which such flyers would be barred from flying would depend on the cabin crew’s assessment of the gravity of unruly behaviour. “So far we have not heard abo- ut any case of (such) defia- nce,” Arun Kumar told TOI.
“A distinction has to be made between someone who defiantly refuses to wear a mask and someone who takes the mask or face covering off for drinking water or taking a bite. The provision of no-fly list action should be invoked against someone wilfully and knowingly defying wearing a mask and endangering others,” a DGCA official said.
The warning comes at a time when air travel is picking up. The number of domestic flyers on a single day crossed the 1-lakh mark for the first time on Wednesday.
“Sky full of milestones! More than 1,000 (domestic) flights. More than 2 lakh passenger footfalls (counting departures from origin and arriving at destination). Now we cross the milestone of more than 1 lakh domestic passengers in a day!” HS Puri, aviation minister, tweeted on Thursday.
Domestic flights and passengers are likely to increase in the coming days as Kolkata partially lifts restrictions on flights from six cities including Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai.
In addition, Mumbai and Chennai are likely to allow more daily schedule domestic flights in the next week or so.
While schedule international flights remain suspended, India is creating air bubbles with more countries that will lead to more foreign travel to and from India.