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The government today went into a damage control mode after its proposal to ask private airlines to extend courtesies to MPs led to an adverse reaction. On Wednesday evening the civil aviation ministry issued a statement saying that it has not given any instruction to any private airline to extend facilities to MPs.
Separately civil aviation minister Ajit Singh denied that private airlines had been asked to offer MPs privileges like free snacks, use of VIP lounges, priority clearances and a protocol officer. Singh said no "fresh guidelines" have been issued in this regard but added, "There may have been a circular in 2007...I am not aware what exactly it says". Air India has been the only airline which has been extending such courtesies to the MPs so far.
The ministry's clarification came after a media report said that Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had written to airlines that it had received complaints from MPs that airlines except Air India were not extending protocol and other courtesies to parliamentarians. It also said that the existing guidelines on the topic only mentioned Air India and these would be revised to include private airlines.
The DGCA’s letter came after Parliament's 'Committee on Violation of Protocol Norms and Contemptuous Behaviour of government officers with member(s) of Lok Sabha', which is part of the Privileges Committee, had raised the issue with the ministry late last year. The committee had said that "airports and airlines are not adhering to the guidelines on protocol norms and courtesy to be extended to the members of Parliament".
