Lok Sabha has passed a bill aimed at enhancing the compensation that airlines must pay to passengers in case of death, injury, lost baggage or even inordinate flight delays. The Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2015, was moved by Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju. The bill was passed by a voice vote, intends to increase the compensation for death in an air accident to over Rs 1 crore from almost Rs 89 lakh now.

The Bill will enable the government to revise the liability limits of air carriers in line with the Montreal Convention, which was acceded to by India in May 2009. Once enacted, the measure would result in the Indian carriers paying compensation equivalent to rates paid by their global counterparts. It intends to raise the liability limit for damage in case of death or bodily injury for each person from 1,00,000 SDR (special drawing rights) to 1,13,100 SDR.

Did You Know???

• The Wright brothers invented and flew the first airplane in 1903. It is considered the world’s first “sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight.”
• In 1977, two fully loaded planes carrying a total of over 600 passengers collided head-on in the middle of the runway in what is now known as the Tenerife Accident, named after Tenerife Island where the accident occurred. Over 500 people died.
• The world’s largest passenger airliner, the Airbus A380, has about 4 million parts.
• Air India had its origin in Tata Sons, founded by J. R. D. Tata in 1932.
• Vistara is an Indian airline based in Gurgaon with its hub at Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport. The carrier, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines.