A Mumbai-based jeweller, who left a hijack note on a Jet Airways flight in October, has become the first person to be put on the National No Fly List, ANI reported on Sunday.
Birju Kishore Salla was arrested in October. He was also the first to be booked under the stringent Anti-Hijacking Act. “This is the first case of an Indian carrier putting someone on the No Fly List,” said a senior official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, according to The Times of India. However, Jet Airways is yet to issue a statement.
The airline has grounded Salla for five years. According to the DGCA, it is the responsibility of Jet Airways to inform other airlines about banned passengers, reported the Hindustan Times. The DGCA is supposed to maintain a database of such passengers.
The Delhi-bound Jet Airways flight from Mumbai on October 30 was diverted to Ahmedabad after Salla’s note was found in the aircraft’s toilet. All 115 passengers were deplaned at the Ahmedabad airport and screened.
Following the incident, former Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju advised Jet Airways to add Salla to the no-fly list immediately and take other statutory criminal action.
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