Recently, when Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut flew to Mumbai from Chandigarh, media personnel in the flight were seen violating social distancing norms while trying to click photos of her.
Videos and pictures of reporters from the Indigo flight also went viral on social media.
A passenger from the same flight, who sat diagonally opposite to Kangana Ranaut, shared her experience with The Quint. She recorded the media personnel crowding to talk to the actor as soon as the flight touched the ground.
Days after the incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation warned airlines that it would suspend a scheduled flight for two weeks if anyone onboard was found engaging in photography.
The aviation regulator also issued a letter.
Talking to PTI, DGCA said that it has asked Indigo to take appropriate action.
We have seen some videos wherein mediapersons are standing too close to each other in the 6E264 flight on Wednesday. It seems to be a violation of safety and social distancing protocols. We have asked IndiGo to submit a report on this incident.
The DGCA was of the view that the ground staff at Chandigarh airport should not have allowed so many people with big cameras onboard.
Netizens called out mediapersons for their behaviour and were clearly not pleased with this ban on photography onboard flights.
Responding to DGCA’s warning, Indigo released a statement. It read:
We would like to reiterate that our cabin crew, as well as the captain, followed all the requisite protocols, including announcements to restrict photography, follow social distancing and maintain overall safety.
The carrier said that it is committed to providing comfortable and safe travel experience to its passengers.