Five crew members of a Jet Airways flight have been grounded for allowing a Bollywood singer to use the in-flight announcement system for an impromptu concert at 30,000 feet.
A video of Sonu Nigam singing on the intercom system went viral online, sparking an investigation by Jet Airways.
"All cabin crew on the flight have been taken off from flight duty for inquiry and corrective training to reinforce strict adherence to operating procedures," a Jet Airways spokesman said in a statement.
The video showed Nigam singing several hit Bollywood songs while fellow passengers joined in.
Indian media reported Nigam got up and performed after repeated requests by other passengers.
Once the video went public, India regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation reportedly ordered the airline to take action.
A senior DGCA official said ‘the system was used for songs which is a violation of procedures.’
"Besides, the forward galley was unattended and there were a number of passengers standing in the aisle area. Such violations cannot be tolerated by DGCA," the official said.
News of the disciplinary action has been widely condemned by netizens on social media.
Singer Nigam also criticised the airline’s action, calling it ‘utter nonsense.’
"Pity there’s no one to question such harshness except the media perhaps. Indians need to loosen up. This act of lack of common sense, according to me, is real intolerance," Nigam said in a statement.
