No fly list: Govt ID mandatory for domestic flight tickets
The final rules for India's 'no fly list' (NFL) will be out tomorrow. Once it is implemented, flyers will have to submit details of their Aadhaar, driving license, passport or PAN while booking domestic tickets. According to the Election Commission, voter IDs will also be valid, but a final decision on this is yet to be taken. Passport is anyway mandatory for international travel.
Why did the need for an NFL come about?
The aviation ministry mulled an NFL in light of increasing instances of unruly passengers. Its purpose is to act as a deterrent to those who misbehave on flights and are a safety risk to their co-passengers and the crew. 'Unruly behavior' might include verbal abuse, smoking, failure/refusal to follow safety instructions, violence against crew and other passengers, harassment, or other forms of riotous behavior.
What do the draft guidelines say?
In May, the Centre issued draft rules for the NFL. It described the process for adding names to the list and categorized unruly behavior. A name can be included in NFL by filing a complaint, after which an airline-level committee headed by a retired sessions judge will conduct inquiry. Bans could range from three months to two years depending on level of disruptive behavior.
India first country to introduce a safety-based no-fly list
India is the first country to bring in a safety-based no-fly list. Though the final rules were expected to be finalized by June 30, a delay was caused while attempting to ensure that banned passengers don't fly using other names, thus the mandatory government ID.
