Airlines must follow Indian frisking rules: Praful

New Delhi, July 30: Airlines should follow the law of the land while frisking passengers in India, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said.

Referring to the recent controversy over former President APJ Abdul Kalam having been frisked at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport by Continental Airlines, the Minister said: “The rules of BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) should be followed in India.”

The US airline frisked Kalam when he was going on a visit to the US this April.

Patel said there were no issues with the US government as Continental Airlines has already apologised for its act.

“If we have any problem on this issue, we will approach the US government,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a function.

Asked about reports that the beleaguered national carrier, Air India, has asked for a Rs 20,000 crore capital infusion from the government, the minister said: “It was just a rumour.”

Earlier there were reports that the carrier, struggling to cope with a cash crunch, sought an immediate loan of Rs 10,000 crore from the government and an annual capital infusion of Rs 2,500-3,000 crore for the next four-to-five years.

-IANS