DGCA action: song and dance over Sonu Nigam’s croon?

Aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Friday it is well within its rights to initiate action against Jet Airways, taking a serious note of the carrier’s cabin crew allowing singer Sonu Nigam to take over the in-flight announcement system. The DGCA has summoned Jet officials to appear before it on February 10 to explain the incident.

On a flight from Jodhpur to Mumbai on Thursday, the airhostesses allowed the singer to take over the PA system after he accepted requests from passengers who wanted him to sing.

Although Nigam on Friday came forward in support of the suspended Jet crew, calling the stern action an “act of intolerance”, DGCA sources told BusinessLine the incident was deemed a safety violation for various reasons.

“First of all the PA system was used for singing, which is a violation of procedures. There were a number of passengers standing in the aisle when Sonu Nigam was singing even though the airplane was descending,” a DGCA executive said on condition of anonymity. Another DGCA source said passengers could have been hurt by a clear-air turbulence as the crew’s attention was elsewhere.

“Already there had been two incidents where passengers were hurt due to in-flight turbulence when they were moving in the aircraft as it was descending. Such violations cannot be tolerated by the DGCA,” the person said.

Jet was quick to suspend the crew. “All cabin crew on the flight have been taken off flight duty for enquiry and corrective training to reinforce strict adherence to operating procedures,” it said in a statement.

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