Air passengers who refuse to wear masks properly or follow social distancing during a flight despite repeated warnings could be put on a "no-fly" list in India for a period of three months to two years or more, the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in an order today.

If a passenger in an aircraft refuses to wear mask or is not following Covid-19 protocols, he or she would be deplaned or may even be handed over to security agencies at the airport and be dealt with as per law, reports our New Delhi correspondent quoting the order.

"It has been noticed that some travellers undertaking air journey do not adhere to Covid-19 protocols which essentially involves wearing the mask properly that is not below the nose during all times of the journey from entering the airport for departure to exiting it after arrival," added the DGCA order.

A Kolkata High Court judge had, while flying from Kolkata to New Delhi, recently noticed how passengers did not wear masks on the flight.