The child with special needs was not allowed to board IndiGo flight at Ranchi airport.
The rules say there should be no potential disruption on the flight, IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta on Monday stressed amid an escalating row over the airline's decision to not allow a child with special needs on board one of its flights in Ranchi over the weekend. The CEO added the same child has flown with them over 50 times in the past few years.
"We always tell employees flight safety is Number 1. If you are in doubt, please always err on the side of flight safety. So how do we make sure that flight safety is not just lip service but is actually working. One is training. The second thing is empowerment. We don't try to second guess the captain's, flight attendant or flight manager's decision," said Ronojoy Dutta in an exclusive interview to NDTV.
Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation or the DGCA has formed a three-member team to conduct a "fact-finding enquiry" into IndiGo incident.
"Flight safety is the partnership between the DGCA and the airline and the DGCA is very clear what our responsibilities are. As an airline you are responsible for screening passengers," he said.
Mr Dutta said in this case the "child was in a panic situation" and incidents happen when the crew is distracted.
"This passenger, I would be happy to say, flew with us 50 times over the past few years. In this particular case, he was in a panic situation for whatever reason. And if you look at flight safety, incidents happen when the crew is distracted. It is never one thing
"The passenger needs to be composed. And it is not that whether it is a physically challenged child or a normal child or a pregnant woman, it all depends on whether the passenger is normal and composed," he said.
IndiGo, in an earlier statement, had said the child posed a threat to other passengers' safety. It stressed that it takes pride in being "inclusive" and refuted suggestions of discriminatory behaviour.
"In-view of the safety of passengers, a specially-abled child could not board the flight with his family on May 7, as he was in a state of panic. The ground staff waited for him to calm down till the last minute, but to no avail," said the airline in a statement on Sunday.
The CEO underlined that every official goes through training for people with special needs.
"We have specialised people studying this on the global basis. So, are we doing enough - definitely we can do more. After this incident, we should do a case study. I stand by the airport manager's decision," he said.
Expressing regret over the incident, the CEO offered to buy an electric wheelchair for the child with special needs, adding that the airline staff took the best possible decision under difficult circumstances.
Earlier today, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had warned IndiGo and said he himself is investigating the Ranchi incident.
The family's harrowing ordeal was widely shared on social media, triggering massive outrage.
Manisha Gupta, a fellow passenger and a witness to the scene, wrote about the incident in an elaborate Facebook post.
The IndiGo manager, said Ms Gupta, kept shouting and telling everyone that the "child is uncontrollable".
Asked about it, the IndiGo CEO called it a "poor choice of words" by his airline staff member.
The family, said the airline, was provided a hotel stay, and they flew the next morning to their destination.