Gaikwad expresses regret, but Air India firm on ban

“I write to convey my regrets for the unfortunate incident that took place on March 23, 2017 in the Air India Flight No. AI852 seat No. 1F,” Gaikwad, who has been steadfast in refusing to tender an apology to either the national carrier or the staffer concerned, said. 

“It could have been no one’s intention to have let the situation aggravate to the level that it eventually did. While the ongoing investigation will bring out the factual sequence of events to fix responsibility, this incident may kindly not be seen as a reason for likely recurrence of such an event in future also,” he said in the letter.

The letter, according to official sources, followed a meeting in Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s chamber in Parliament where Shiv Sena MPs were told that if Gaikwad issued a statement committing that he would not engage in any such incident in future, the government could intervene and have the ban revoked.

“As the restriction on flying is affecting the effective discharge of my duties and responsibilities, I would request you to lift this restriction and let the investigation eventually determine the circumstances which led to the incident,” Gaikwad said. Air India sources, meanwhile, said the ban is still in force.