Air India news: In the latest development to the Air India passenger urinating case, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday issued show cause notices to the airline, crew members and pilots of the New York-Delhi flight.
"A show cause notice has been issued to the Accountable Manager of Air India, the Director of in-flight Services of Air India, all the pilots and cabin crew members of that flight as to why enforcement action should not be taken against them for dereliction of their regulatory obligations," the DGCA said in a statement.
The incident occurred on Nov 26, 2022
The incident of passenger misconduct occurred on the AI-102 flight on November 26, 2022. However, the DGCA was made aware of the incident on January 4, in which a male passenger behaved disorderly and allegedly relieved himself on a female passenger.
"For fact-finding, DGCA sought the details of the incident from Air India and on the basis of the reply of the airline, prima facie it emerges that provisions related to the handling of an unruly passenger on board have not been complied with," the DGCA added.
The airline's conduct appears to be unprofessional: DGCA
According to the DGCA, the concerned airline's conduct appears to be unprofessional and has caused a systemic breakdown.
"Prima facie it lacks appreciation of regulatory obligations as described in applicable Aircraft Rules 1937, Civil Aviation Requirements on 'Handling of Unruly Passengers', Cabin Safety Circular, Air India Operations Manual, Air India Safety and Emergency Procedure Manual and Air India Quick Reference Handbook and is devoid of empathy," the statement reads.
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Air India bans culprit passenger
Earlier today (January 5), Air India said in a statement that it has banned the culprit passenger for 30 days.
"Air India has taken a very serious view of the incident, where a passenger behaved in an unacceptable and undignified manner on the New York-Delhi flight that caused extreme distress to a fellow passenger. A police complaint has already been lodged and Air India is committed to assisting the law enforcement agencies as well as regulatory authorities," the statement reads.
It further said that an internal committee has also been constituted to probe lapses on part of the airline's crew and address the deficiencies that delayed the quick redressal of the situation.
(With ANI inputs)
