The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday made wearing of masks mandatory at airports and inside aircraft and ordered that passengers be termed “unruly” in case of non-compliance and dealt with accordingly.

The order comes after Delhi High Court on June 3 called for strict action against those found violating mask and hand hygiene norms at airports and in aircraft.

The aviation regulator said violators might be treated as “unruly passengers” and put on the no-fly list.

At airports, the violators will be fined and handed over to security agencies.

Airlines must deboard any passenger before departure if they refuse to wear masks inside an aircraft even after being warned, director-general of civil aviation Arun Kumar said.

Besides, airport operators must take the help of the local police and security agencies and levy fines on people not wearing masks, the DGCA said in a circular.

The Delhi High Court had in its order said the “DGCA should issue separate binding directions to all staff persons deployed at the airports and in the aircraft, including flight attendants, air hostesses, captains/pilots and others, to take strict action against passengers and others who violate the masking and hygiene norms”.

All such persons found violating the norms must be fined and persistent defaulters must be placed on the no-fly list, the court had said.

According to the rules introduced in 2017, airlines are empowered to ban unruly passengers. The duration of the ban can range from three months to two years.

At airports, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) or other police personnel deployed at the entrance to the airports have to ensure that no one is allowed to enter the airport without a mask, the DGCA order said.

Airport operators have also been told to increase announcements and surveillance to ensure that passengers at the terminal wear masks properly and follow Covid appropriate behaviour at all times on the premises.

The DGCA said airlines must ensure passengers wear masks properly on flights and that they are removed from faces only “under exceptional circumstances and for permitted reasons”. If a passenger needs an extra mask, the airline must provide it.

“The airline shall ensure that in case any passenger does not adhere to above instructions even after repeated warnings, he or she should be deboarded, if need be, before departure,” it said.

Airport operators must provide hand sanitisers or dispensers at prominent places in the terminal, it added.