A couple from Madurai in Tamil Nadu recently held a mid-air wedding on a Boeing 737 plane with their families, in order to avoid on-ground coronavirus restrictions as the state is currently under a lockdown till May 31, 2021.
Rakesh-Dakshina from Madurai, who rented a plane for two hours and got married in the wedding sky. Family members who flew from Madurai to Bangalore after getting married by SpiceJet flight from Bangalore to Madurai. #COVID19India #lockdown @TV9Telugu #weddingrestrictions pic.twitter.com/9nDyn3MM4n
— DONTHU RAMESH (@DonthuRamesh) May 23, 2021
Visuals show the guests enjoying the function inside the packed flight. Most of them were seen not wearing facemasks and not following social distancing norms.
Now, regulator DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has now launched an inquiry into the mid-air, in-flight ceremony. It has asked for a full report from the airline and Airport Authority, and the entire SpiceJet crew has been removed from the roster. SpiceJet has further been asked to file a complaint against those who were caught violating covid-appropriate behavior, NDTV reports.
Meanwhile, the airport authorities denied knowledge of the plane wedding. Madurai Airport Director, S Senthil Valavan stated the same saying, “A SpiceJet chartered flight was booked yesterday from Madurai. Airport Authority officials were unaware of the mid-air marriage ceremony.”
A SpiceJet Boeing 737 was chartered by a travel agent in Madurai on May 23 for a group of passengers for a joy ride post their wedding. The client was clearly briefed on Covid guidelines to be followed and denied permission for any activity to be performed on-board: SpiceJet pic.twitter.com/jelf1yeKVW
— ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2021
In a statement, the private airline SpiceJet stated, “A SpiceJet Boeing 737 was chartered by a travel agent in Madurai on May 23, 2021, for a group of passengers for a joy ride post their wedding. The client was clearly briefed on Covid guidelines to be followed and denied permission for any activity to be performed on board. The agent and the guest passengers were briefed in detail, both in writing as well as verbally, on social distancing and safety norms to be followed as per Covid guidelines both at the airport and on board the aircraft throughout the journey.”
A SpiceJet spokesperson said, “Despite repeated requests and reminders the passengers did not follow Covid guidelines and the airline is taking appropriate action as per rules.”
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) says it has issued a show-cause notice to SpiceJet and sought a detailed report on the incident involving marriage by a couple mid-air pic.twitter.com/e8R6kblhdS
— ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2021
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