Centre asks private airlines to give special treatment, freebies to MPs

CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury said he does not see anything substantial in the order as they MPs already get “special handling”.

Noting that a 2007 circular of Civil Aviation Ministry providing the guidelines and instructions in this regard, had only listed Air India, DOGMA chief Prabhat Kumar also advised the Ministry “to review the order on protocol norms and courtesy for the Members of Parliament and include the names of other airlines companies including LCC (low-cost carriers)”.

The DGCA directive came after Parliament's ‘Committee on Violation of Protocol Norms and Contemptuous Behaviour of government officers with member(s) of Lok Sabha', which is part of the Privileges Committee, had raised the issue with the Ministry late last year.

The committee had said that “airports and airlines are not adhering to the guidelines on protocol norms and courtesy to be extended to the members of Parliament”.