Go First Airline, which was being investigated by civil aviation regulator DGCA for one of its flights leaving behind 55 passengers at Bengaluru airport before taking off, was fined 10 lakh today for violating multiple air transport norms.

Soon after the incident, the DGCA, or Directorate General of Civil Aviation, issued a warning to the airline for "several errors" and requested an explanation. The DGCA stated that Go First's response revealed improper communication and coordination between the terminal coordinator, commercial staff, and crew regarding passenger boarding in the aircraft, and that the airline failed to ensure adequate ground handling, load and trim sheet preparation, flight dispatch, and passenger/cargo handling.

Go First apologised for an "inadvertent oversight" and compansated affected passengers one free ticket to go anywhere in India during the next year. The crew that was engaged in the incident was also de-listed. Flight G8 116 took off for Delhi from Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport at 6.30 a.m. on January 9 this year, with 55 people left behind in one of the four buses that brought passengers to the aircraft.

According to reports, the passengers were accommodated on a flight that took off four hours later, at 10 a.m. As per the DGCA, "many errors such as a miscommunication, coordination, reconciliation, and confirmation" were at work, resulting in a very avoidable situation.

Airlines have been under increased scrutiny since last year, initially as a result of many mechanical breakdowns in mid-flight, and more recently as a result of the crew's handling of unruly passengers.