The government is preparing to stop in-flight sales in short-haul flights due to security reasons.
“The primary thing is that the flight should be secure. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is preparing a list of guidelines to be followed during in-flight shopping. Sales in short-haul flights may be scrapped,” said a senior ministry official.
The aviation regulator, in a recent order, had directed domestic carriers not to sell merchandise goods, such as camera, sunglasses, watches and other electronic items, onboard without its prior approval. It had also asked air carriers to take immediate action and report to it before September 5 or face action.
The ministry source added that other recommendations would be that there should be a time gap after the taking off of flights and before the start of sales and also before the plane is to land.
“It should not be that you start selling the moment the plane takes off,” the ministry official said.Globally, low-cost airlines have been very aggressive in selling merchandise goods on-board on domestic as well as international sectors. The in-flight sales contribute 5-10 per cent to the total income of these carriers. In India, on-board sales of goods are yet to take off.
