The clip, posted by passenger Amitava Das on X, shows 38 passengers standing on the tarmac as the aircraft taxied toward the runway—no audible announcement from the crew before the plane started moving.
But the footage sparked a firestorm online; some users demanded the airline’s crew be removed and the DGCA be slapped with penalties, while others blamed the passengers for lacking common sense.
Air India Express replied in a terse tweet that safety remains its highest priority and that all operations are conducted in accordance with regulatory requirements, adding that the crew was trained to enforce protocols.
The airline’s statement came after a recent ruling by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Dakshina Kannada, which fined the carrier Rs 27,000 for failing to provide special handling for a sports bicycle, a separate incident that had already dented its service record.
In the wake of the viral video, the airline has pledged to conduct a full review of its ground‑handling procedures and will report findings to the DGCA before the next scheduled audit.