ZURICH: Doing ramp-to-ramp transfer of passengers – in alleged violation of rules – at Delhi Airport has earned GoFirst the ire of aviation authorities. Aviation secretary Rajiv Bansal has ordered the airline not to operate any flights at Delhi Airport on April 1, 2023, between 12 noon and 2 pm as a punishment.
The case refers to a GoFirst Delhi-Mumbai flight (G8-330) of September 24, 2022. The aircraft with 95 passengers taxied out at 9 pm for departure but had to return to the parking bay following a snag. Then at 10.11 pm, using ferry buses the airline shifted passengers from this aircraft to another GoFirst plane “without any permission/intimation to concerned agencies including CISF.”
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) had in a September 2021 prohibited ramp to ramp transfer of passengers and their baggage. “BCAS submitted (Go) has violated its order by allowing ramp to ramp transfer of passengers and their baggage but during the hearing of appeal, (Go) denied violating BCAS order and submitted that passengers were transferred through terminal building for security check,” the aviation ministry order says.
The ministry then sought comments from CISF and Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) on the issue. “CISF responded that on September 24, 2022, (after Go Mumbai-bound) flight returned from taxiway due to technical snag… at about 10.11 pm all boarded passengers were shifted to already parked GoFirst (aircraft) VT-GOQ at bay No. 211 by their ferry buses, without any permission/intimation to concerned agencies including CISF. In this case, neither permission was sought nor any instructions was given to the concerned agencies,” it says.
And “DIAL informed that on September 25, 5.30 am, CISF vigilance team had verbally intimated DIAL terminal operations at Terminal-2 about the ramp to ramp transfer by GoFirst on the previous night. DIAL also mentioned that due to technical reasons flight returned from taxiway to bay 204. The on-board passengers were shifted to flight G8 275, which was parked at bay 217 and the flight took off at 10.50 pm.”
“GoFirst has reiterated its submission that passengers of the grounded flight operating as G8-330 were off loaded and sent to security hold area (SHA) through domestic to domestic transfer desk under verbal intimation to CISF but does not have any evidence to prove its claim. Airlines further submitted that the incident occurred on September 24 and it is almost four months since then and there was no malicious intention to disobey/disregard the guidelines issued by the regulatory authorities and requested for consideration of the case with the deserved leniency,” the order says.
After going through the submissions, aviation secretary Rajiv Bansal’s order says: “….it is evident Go Airlines violated BCAS order dated September 21, 2021, prohibiting ramp to ramp transfer despite Go Airlines denying the same… Partially modiffing BCAS order (in this case) of January 5, 2023, for suspension of Go Airlines Security programme at Delhi Station. It shall be made effective on April 1, 2023, from 12 noon to 2 pm and as a consequential action, no operations shall be undertaken during the above mentioned period (at Delhi),” the order says.
Bansal has directed “Go Airlines to appropriately convey to the passengers or take other
suitable action to minimize the impact on the passengers.”
Comments have been sought from GoFirst and are awaited.
The case refers to a GoFirst Delhi-Mumbai flight (G8-330) of September 24, 2022. The aircraft with 95 passengers taxied out at 9 pm for departure but had to return to the parking bay following a snag. Then at 10.11 pm, using ferry buses the airline shifted passengers from this aircraft to another GoFirst plane “without any permission/intimation to concerned agencies including CISF.”
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) had in a September 2021 prohibited ramp to ramp transfer of passengers and their baggage. “BCAS submitted (Go) has violated its order by allowing ramp to ramp transfer of passengers and their baggage but during the hearing of appeal, (Go) denied violating BCAS order and submitted that passengers were transferred through terminal building for security check,” the aviation ministry order says.
The ministry then sought comments from CISF and Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) on the issue. “CISF responded that on September 24, 2022, (after Go Mumbai-bound) flight returned from taxiway due to technical snag… at about 10.11 pm all boarded passengers were shifted to already parked GoFirst (aircraft) VT-GOQ at bay No. 211 by their ferry buses, without any permission/intimation to concerned agencies including CISF. In this case, neither permission was sought nor any instructions was given to the concerned agencies,” it says.
And “DIAL informed that on September 25, 5.30 am, CISF vigilance team had verbally intimated DIAL terminal operations at Terminal-2 about the ramp to ramp transfer by GoFirst on the previous night. DIAL also mentioned that due to technical reasons flight returned from taxiway to bay 204. The on-board passengers were shifted to flight G8 275, which was parked at bay 217 and the flight took off at 10.50 pm.”
“GoFirst has reiterated its submission that passengers of the grounded flight operating as G8-330 were off loaded and sent to security hold area (SHA) through domestic to domestic transfer desk under verbal intimation to CISF but does not have any evidence to prove its claim. Airlines further submitted that the incident occurred on September 24 and it is almost four months since then and there was no malicious intention to disobey/disregard the guidelines issued by the regulatory authorities and requested for consideration of the case with the deserved leniency,” the order says.
After going through the submissions, aviation secretary Rajiv Bansal’s order says: “….it is evident Go Airlines violated BCAS order dated September 21, 2021, prohibiting ramp to ramp transfer despite Go Airlines denying the same… Partially modiffing BCAS order (in this case) of January 5, 2023, for suspension of Go Airlines Security programme at Delhi Station. It shall be made effective on April 1, 2023, from 12 noon to 2 pm and as a consequential action, no operations shall be undertaken during the above mentioned period (at Delhi),” the order says.
Bansal has directed “Go Airlines to appropriately convey to the passengers or take other
suitable action to minimize the impact on the passengers.”
Comments have been sought from GoFirst and are awaited.