By SUNIL Sonkar

August 7 — Air India authorities refused veteran leader and Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay to board for a Ranchi flight from Mumbai on July 26 because he reported late at the airport.

Enraged Sahay threatened the airport staff of talking to civil aviation minister Praful Patel after the refusal.

State minister in food processing industries ministry Sahay reached the Mumbai airport at around 8 am, just 15 minutes before departure, to board flight IC 809. By this time all the passengers were suppose to be on board and so he was refused to board on it.

Airport sources said, “Sahay was shocked when he was not allowed to board. As per the DGCA guidelines, pilots must seek a pushback clearance 15 minutes before the departure. This means all passengers have to be on board before that.”

Sahay blamed the airline for this incident of not allowing him to board. However, he denied to have threatened anyone.

He said, “was all because of airline’s mistake. I reached the airport 15 minutes before the departure. The airline staff told me that the plane is parked near the international terminal and it will take 20 minutes for me to reach it. I would have come earlier had I been told about the boarding time. I travel daily and have never inconvenienced fellow passengers.”