May 28, 2022: IndiGo airline has been fined Rs 5 lakh for not allowing a boy with special needs to board a flight from Ranchi.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the country's top regulator for air travel, said that a probe had found that "the handling of the special child by the Indigo ground staff was deficient and ended up exacerbating the situation".

"A more compassionate handling would have smoothened the nerves, calmed the child and would have obviated the need for the extreme step resulting in denied boarding to the passengers," it said in a statement.

"Special situations deserve extraordinary responses but the Airline staff failed to rise up to the occasion and in the process committed lapses in adherence to the letter and spirit of the Civil Aviation Requirements (Regulations)," the statement said, adding that the competent authority has decided to impose a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on the airline.

The regulator added that to prevent such situations, it shall revisit its regulations and bring about necessary changes.

The ground staff's refusal to allow the child from boarding the aircraft had drawn widespread criticism, prompting the aviation regulator to launch a probe.

The matter came to light after Manisha Gupta, a passenger on the Ranchi-Hyderabad flight on May 7, narrated the ordeal of the child and her parents as the crew refused to let them board.