Air India faced criticism from the aviation regulator on Thursday for its handling of an unruly passenger on a flight from New York in November and also acknowledged a second similar incident last month on a flight from Paris to Delhi.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Air India said it had banned a male passenger for 30 days in accordance with regulations following an incident on a flight from New York to Delhi on November 26 in which the man, although clearly drunk, urinated on a fellow passenger.
The Tata Group-owned airline said it had reported the matter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation safety watchdog, for further action.
DGCA said “ it had sought details of the incident from the airline, but prima facie it appeared that Air India had not followed the provisions regarding handling an unruly passenger on board.The conduct of the concerned airline appears to be unprofessional and has led to a systemic failure”.
The watchdog said it had issued a notice to airline executives and pilots and cabin crew members on the flight asking them to explain within two weeks why action should not be taken against them for non-compliance.
In 2017, India issued new standards that ban unruly passengers from flying for a minimum of three months to more than two years, depending on the nature of the offense. Air India on Thursday reported a second incident, which occurred on a December 6 flight from Paris to Delhi, during which a male passenger urinated on an empty seat and blanket of another passenger.
Air India added that the male passenger on the Paris flight was taken into custody after arriving in Delhi, but was later released by federal police after reaching an agreement with the victim and issuing a written apology. The airline said it did not file a police report in accordance with the victim’s wishes.
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