A total of three AirAsia officials have now been suspended after Karnataka governor Thawar Chand Gehlot’s office filed a police complaint and wrote to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) over a “breach of protocol” on their flight. This includes the station manager of the airline, Zico Soares, and two other airline ground staff who were posted at the entry of the boarding counter and the ramp of the aircraft.
The employees were suspended for “dereliction of duty”. They were pulled up for not having followed the protocol to confirm and wait for the VVIP to board the flight.
The incident involving Gehlot being left behind was termed an unprecedented protocol violation, the first for any governor, said a Raj Bhavan official.
Top officials of AirAsia met the governor at the Raj Bhavan on July 31 and informed that strict action had been taken, including suspending the station manager and two of the ground staff who were on duty at the time the flight took off.
The airline later issued an apology statement but has since refused to comment any further.
Courtesy, not a rule
“There is no written regulation or rule, but it is a courtesy extended to VVIPs like the governor to be allowed to board last,” said a former protocol officer who has worked in the Raj Bhavan.
The former bureaucrat pointed out that the only thing that VVIPs like the governor are entitled to is that they are not frisked at the airport and do not have to go through the metal detector.
The procedure followed by the Raj Bhavan for all governors has been that the luggage would go in advance, checked in, and the boarding passes kept ready for the dignitary to reach the airport. Once the governor arrives, the car would be allowed till the tarmac of the aircraft to the foot of the ladder of the aircraft, and the VVIP would board. Similar is the process of deboarding, the officer explained.
Another official who has also worked closely with the Raj Bhavan told News18 that even the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force follow the protocol of being frisked and the rules of boarding at a normal civil airport.
From the point of aviation security and safety, it is said that once the captain signs off the roster and the document called Load and Trim, which details the number of passengers on board, the weight of the luggage loaded in the aircraft, and how much fuel would be needed to fly, the pilot has the right to deny anybody to board, explained the former senior official.
So what happened in the Karnataka governor’s case? Here is a timeline of the incident:
July 27
The AirAsia flight I5-972 from Bengaluru to Hyderabad was scheduled to depart at 2.05 pm from the Kempegowda International Airport, and the Karnataka governor was scheduled to catch it. He was travelling to Raichur via Hyderabad.
According to the Raj Bhavan, the governor was at the airport’s VIP lounge at 1.50 pm, almost 15 minutes before the flight’s take-off. He is said to have briefly used the restroom before heading towards the flight, but the staff of the airline said that the door had been shut and the flight was already pushing back or getting ready to hit the runway.
The governor’s ADC was told that they could accommodate him on the next flight, which was scheduled 90 minutes later. Sources at the Raj Bhavan stated that governor Gehlot was later booked on a flight to Hyderabad, 50 minutes later.
July 28
The Raj Bhavan shot off a letter to the Airports Authority of India, flagging the issue. The governor’s office stressed that “he was not late and there were still five minutes for take-off. Yet the governor was denied entry, citing delay. The governor could have been allowed to board the aircraft by the flight attendants and airline, and denying it was a direct “breach of protocol”, said the letter, it is learned.
The Raj Bhavan has written stating that legal action would be taken on the incident. Gehlot’s office has also written to the authorities of Kempegowda International Airport and AirAsia over the alleged incident.
The detailed letter by the ADC to the AAI and the airline stated that governor Gehlot had reached the boarding staircase by 2.06 pm, and the doors to the aircraft were still open. A guest relations officer had also been informed to assist the governor and facilitate his exit to the aircraft via terminal 2. Yet the personnel did not allow the “first citizen of Karnataka” to board. Unloading his luggage even as the flight stood caused major embarrassment to the VVIP, the letter stated.
July 29
A statement was issued by the spokesperson of AIX Connect, a subsidiary of Air India Limited operating as AirAsia India, expressing regret over the incident.
“We sincerely regret the incident. An investigation is being conducted, and appropriate action will be taken. The senior leadership team of the airline is in contact with the governor’s office. Our commitment to the highest standards of professionalism and adherence to protocol remains unwavering, and we deeply value our relationship with the governor’s office,” AirAsia said in the statement.
July 30
After conducting an internal investigation, the station manager of the airline at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) was suspended for 30 days. This has also been communicated to Raj Bhavan.
July 31
The Karnataka governor’s protocol officer, M Venugopal, said, “The airline has responded and apologised for the incident.”
August 2
Two ground staff members, one at the boarding counter and the other stationed near the airline barcoding ramp, were also suspended for 30 days.
Protocol for VVIPs
There is a “grace time” given to VVIPs like the President of India, Prime Minister, union ministers, chief ministers, and the Chief Justice of India. A special boarding gate is assigned where they are given fast-track access and are not subjected to frisking. They are also the last to board and the first to deboard to avoid any inconvenience.
Unlike regular passengers who have to board the flight 45 minutes before it takes off, the VVIPs are allowed to enter the aircraft last but within a stipulated time before the doors of the aircraft close. Sources say that the airline and the airport management are usually intimated before the arrival of the VVIP to ensure a smooth transfer to and from the airport to the aircraft.
“The governor should have been allowed on board, and this is a protocol violation,” stated an official who also mentioned that two of the governor’s staff had already reached the aircraft with his bags and were awaiting Gehlot’s arrival.
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