 "Mid-air Holi dance gets 2 SpiceJet pilots suspended")
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended two SpiceJet pilots for leaving the cockpit to watch cabin crew perform a Holi dance during a flight on Monday. It has also issued a notice to the airline, asking why its operating permit should not be suspended.
The airline says there was no safety violation, adding a Holi dance by cabin crew on board an aircraft was new to India but similar fun activities were held by airlines round the world.
The DGCA action has come after video recordings came to light, showing the cabin crew dancing in the aisle area, with the pilots present, on a Goa-Bangalore flight. SpiceJet carried out these on as many as eight of its flights.
A senior DGCA official said: “This (crew dancing, pilots out of cabin) is in violation of rules and could have impacted passenger safety.”
A source close to DGCA said the regulator’s action was both preventive and pre-emptive. “Just because there are no terrorist attacks, should airlines stop security checks?’’ he said.
“There are cabin crew manuals which lay down duties and a circular which says they will not do anything to endanger safety. The rules will not say dancing is not permitted and there are grey areas. But DGCA has enough powers to act. The crew have told DGCA they performed the dance sequence at the insistence of management and, hence, the showcause notice to the airline.’’ He added such activities on board would invite unruly behaviour from passengers.
The airline says there was no safety violation, adding a Holi dance by cabin crew on board an aircraft was new to India but similar fun activities were held by airlines round the world.
The DGCA action has come after video recordings came to light, showing the cabin crew dancing in the aisle area, with the pilots present, on a Goa-Bangalore flight. SpiceJet carried out these on as many as eight of its flights.
A senior DGCA official said: “This (crew dancing, pilots out of cabin) is in violation of rules and could have impacted passenger safety.”
A source close to DGCA said the regulator’s action was both preventive and pre-emptive. “Just because there are no terrorist attacks, should airlines stop security checks?’’ he said.
“There are cabin crew manuals which lay down duties and a circular which says they will not do anything to endanger safety. The rules will not say dancing is not permitted and there are grey areas. But DGCA has enough powers to act. The crew have told DGCA they performed the dance sequence at the insistence of management and, hence, the showcause notice to the airline.’’ He added such activities on board would invite unruly behaviour from passengers.
The airline said it was a 2.5-minute sequence, performed by trained cabin crew who volunteered, both male and female, and consisted mainly of twirling hand movements. Extra cabin crew and managers were on the flights to ensure the front and rear galleys were staffed for those 2.5 minutes, and to ensure all planned activities were well-supervised.
“We take safety very seriously. We will never compromise on safety — we will be the first to act on any known violations. We are working closely with DGCA to answer their questions, concernss and queries,” SpiceJet said.
SOME FLIGHTS OF FANCY
- Cabin crew dancing in the aisle is new in Indian skies but flight attendants performing to Bollywood tunes or shaking their legs while giving out safety instructions is common
- Finnair cabin crew had put up a dance in aisle on Bollywood songs, while crew of Cebu Pacific of Philippines shook a leg while doing the safety instruction exercise
- Passenger jets have also played hosts to fashion shows. In India, marriages and thread ceremonies have been performed on board
- The Directorate General of Civil had suspended the permit of Damania Airways for serving liquor on board. Rules did not prohibit serving alcohol and the action was initiated after passengers got tipsy
- DGCA routinely issues showcause notices to pilots for allowing passengers inside the cockpit during a flight