HYDERABAD- The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I in Hyderabad has ruled against VietJet Air (VJ), ordering the Vietnamese airline to pay Rs 55,172 to a passenger for negligence and unfair trade practices.
The ruling stems from a December 2022 incident involving Ramakanth Sai Josyula, a Tarnaka resident.
VietJet Air Fined by India
Josyula booked three tickets on a VietJet Air flight to Hanoi (HAN) for himself and his family. VietJet subsequently canceled the flight, citing operational reasons.
An RTI query to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) revealed that VietJet lacked approval to operate flights from Hyderabad (HYD) to Vietnam. The DGCA confirmed VietJet’s authorization only covered flights from Delhi (DEL), Ahmedabad (AMD), Gaya (GAY), and Mumbai (BOM).
The complainant argued that VietJet knowingly sold tickets for an unauthorized route, forcing him to make costly alternative travel arrangements. VietJet Air failed to appear before the consumer forum to address these allegations.
The consumer forum found VietJet guilty of negligence and ordered the airline to refund Rs 40,172 to Josyula. This amount covers the cost of replacement tickets from Hyderabad to Ahmedabad and Delhi to Hyderabad for the Vietnam trip. Additionally, the forum awarded Rs 15,000 as compensation.
VietJet must comply with the order within 45 days from August 27, the date of the ruling.
Similar Fines on Airlines
IndiGo (6E), India’s leading low-cost carrier, received a $5,832.60 fine from US Customs and Border Protection on July 24, 2024. The penalty stems from delayed payment of an immigration user fee, classified as a non-interlineable tax. IndiGo is exploring options to appeal the fine and asserts that the incident will not impact its financial position or operations.
Interglobe Aviation, IndiGo’s parent company, will release its Q1 2024 financial results on July 26, 2024, amidst this regulatory challenge.
In a separate case, Air India (AI) faces a Rs 5.5 lakh fine imposed by the Muzaffarpur Consumer Commission in December 2023.
The penalty relates to an incident from February 2022, where Air India deboarded two passengers, Aditya and his colleague, at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport during their Delhi-Bangkok journey.
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VietJet Air Providing 50 Travelers FREE Flight Tickets from India to Vietnam
The post VietJet Air Fined for Cancelling Flights by Indian Court appeared first on Aviation A2Z.