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Diplomatic row after envoy thrown off British Airways flight

The Indian government has sought explanation from British Airways after the airline deplaned an Indian diplomat and his family following an argument about a child crying.

Click here: INDIAN FAMILY THROWN OFF BRITISH AIRWAYS FLIGHT OVER ‘CRYING CHILD’


India’s aviation minister Suresh Prabhu said: “I have directed the directorate general of civil aviation to obtain [a] detailed report from British Airways on the issue.”

The Indian diplomat, A P Pathak, in a letter to Prabhu, had said his family was deplaned due to his three-year-old son’s incessant crying.

Reportedly, an airline crew member threatened to throw the child out of a window if he did not stop crying. Another Indian family who tried to console the child by offering him a biscuit was also deplaned, Pathak alleged in his letter.

The Indian civil servant also claimed that he was subjected to “humiliation and racial behaviour” on the plane from London to Berlin.

In response, British Airways said the family was asked to leave because they did not comply with the airline’s request to have the child seated and to fasten his seatbelt before takeoff.

“It is a safety requirement for all airlines that passengers are seated and have their seatbelt fastened for take-off. We are investigating the complaint and will liaise with our customer,” a spokesperson for the airline said, adding that it took claims about discrimination “extremely seriously.”

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