Information regarding passengers travelling by Sri Lankan Airlines flight

Background        

The appellant sought the names and addresses of passengers who arrived at Chennai Airport by a particular Sri Lankan Airlines flight from the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Under section 5(4) of the RTI Act, the Public Information Officer (PIO) of AAI forwarded the application to the Manager, Srilankan Airlines Ltd., Chennai and intimated the same to the appellant. The respondent submitted that they were not the custodian of information pertaining to list of passengers and they have rightly forwarded the RTI application to the Sri Lankan Airlines which was not a public authority under the RTI Act, 2005, hence the information cannot be provided.

View of CIC

The Central Information Commission (CIC) rejected the appeal observing that the respondents were not the custodian of requisite information and the appellant was suitably replied.

Comments

While it is clear that the Sri Lankan Airlines is not a public authority of India, the order raises several crucial questions - whether the transfer of application should have taken place at all by the PIO of the AAI that too under section 5(4) of the RTI Act? Does the AAI not have any list of passengers with it?

Citation: Mr. A.V. Subbaiah v. Airports Authority of India Chennai in Case No. CIC/SS/A/2012/000007