Telugu Desam MP JC Diwakar Reddy who was banned from flying by all the 7 domestic airlines since more than a month over his rowdy behaviour heaved a sigh of relief as IndiGo airline decided to revoke the ban.
The state-run Air India soon followed the suit and reopened its door for the member of lok Sabha.
IndiGo whose staff was at the receiving end of MP's abuses at Visakhapatanam airport on June 16 said that it had reached an amicable settlement with the MP.
Apparently YS Choudhary, a union minister of state belonging to the TDP played a crucial role in bringing the two sides together over lunch in New Delhi and bringing about a patch up. Though the details of the amicable settlement were not known, Diwakar Reddy told the reporters that he had not apologised to the airlines.
A brief statement issued by IndiGo said, "Senior IndiGo officials today met Honourable Member of Parliament Mr. Diwakar Reddy, at a lunch hosted by senior Member of Parliament Mr. Y S Chaudhary, to resolve the issue of Honourable Member Mr. Diwakar Reddy's ban on IndiGo flights. The issue is amicably resolved between the two and IndiGo has decided to lift the said ban with immediate effect and Mr Reddy is withdrawing the case he has filed."
"The Federation of Indian Airlines has also been informed about the decision. IndiGo appreciate and thanks the member airlines for their continued support," the statement said.
Diwakar Reddy, who had to fly in a chartered plane to New Delhi because of the ban on Monday to attend Parliament session, thanked all those who helped him in getting the van revoked.
IndiGo and six other airlines had imposed a ban on Diwakar Reddy flying with them on June 16 after the MP created a ruckus at the Visakhapatanam Airport and manhandled an employee of the airline.
The MP was infuriated when the IndiGo staff at check in counter refused him the boarding pass as he had turned up late. The civil aviation rules stipulate that passengers should report at least 45 minutes before the schedule time of the flight. The MP had come 28 minutes before the time of the flight and when boarding was refused he vandalised the country and also pushed the staff.
Though he finally managed to secure the boarding pass and flew to Hyderabad through some back room manoeuvring, the seven airlines decided to bar him from flying.
The civil aviation ministry had ordered a probe into the incident.
J C Diwakar Reddy had knocked on the doors of the High Court but the court had refused to issue an interim orde to lift the ban.
He was second MP to be put on no-fly list by the domestic airline. Earlier a Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad was also banned by airline after he had beat up an Air India official with his slippers as he was not provided a seat in Business Class when that particular flight did not have a Business Class in the first place. later the ban was revoked.