AirAsia takes off without K’taka Governor on board, airline apologises
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Bengaluru: An AirAsia flight on Thursday took off from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport without taking Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on board, though he was waiting at the airport lounge, official sources said.
The Governor's Protocol Officer M Venugopal lodged a complaint over breach of protocol and the Airline on Friday offered an apology.
According to the complaint, Gehlot was supposed to fly to Hyderabad on Thursday afternoon from Terminal-2 by boarding AIX Connect’s flight number I5 972 at 2.05 pm. He was to visit Raichur by road to attend a convocation.
“Accordingly, the Governor left Raj Bhavan at 1.10 pm and reached the VIP Lounge of Terminal-1 at 1.35 pm. By that time, the luggage belonging to the Governor was loaded onto the plane.”
The Governor reached the ladder of the plane at 2.06 pm. However, AirAsia (AIX Connect) employee denied entry to the Governor saying that there was a delay in his arrival, though the door of the plane was still open, the complaint alleged.
The Governor had to take another flight after 90 minutes to reach Hyderabad, the sources added.
The airline expressed regret over the incident and said they are in touch with the Governor’s office to address the concerns.
“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 to address the concerns, an AIX Connect spokesperson said in a statement.
With inputs from PTI