Taking strong exception to the ill treatment meted out to Indian passengers and alleged racial discrimination onboard the Air France flight,the civil aviation ministry has decided to firm up strict penalties under the relevant act. The government has taken a serious note of complaints received from passengers onboard the Air France flight from Mumbai. It is working on a proposal to penalise such behaviour by foreign airlines,bring it under some sort of regulation,which could include imposition of fines, a civil aviation official told The Indian Express. In fact,Air France South Asia Regional head,Pieter de Man submitted an apology letter after the ministry summoned him almost two weeks back and asked them to take an appropriate action. The matter has also been taken up at the highest level by the Indian ambassador in Paris with appropriate French authorities, the official added. Less than a week ago,ten Indians,travelling by the Air France flight,were stranded for an entire night in a Paris airport lounge. The Indians,flying to Mumbai from Washington via Paris,complained that they were confined to the lounge on Monday with just some water and a sandwich after their plane reached Paris late from Washington and they could not board the connecting flight to Mumbai. The passengers of the flight AF025 alleged that while they had to remain at the airport,people with American passports were given transit visas,provided accommodation and taken care of. Prior to this,around 50 passengers on board an Air France flight had also alleged racial discrimination. The airline had later sent an apology through an SMS and also offered around 500 euros each to the passengers,which they refused to accept.
