New Delhi: India’s aviation regulator has issued a show-cause notice to Air India, slamming its “unprofessional conduct” when its crew allegedly did not help an elderly woman passenger after a man urinated on her in flight.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has shot the notice to Air India, the accountable manager, the director of in-flight services, pilots and the cabin crew of the New York to Delhi flight where the obnoxious behaviour took place.
The DGCA has asked the staff why action should not be taken against them for “dereliction of duty”.
The DGCA has said it looks prima facie that “provisions related to handling an unruly passenger on board have not been complied with”.
“The conduct of the concerned airline appears to be unprofessional and has led to a systemic failure. It lacks appreciation of regulatory obligations,” the aviation body added.
The incident took place on 26 November, after the Air India flight had taken off from the John F. Kennedy airport in New York.
A drunk man apparently walked up to the woman seated in business class and urinated on her, soaking her clothes, bag and footwear. He also exposed himself, it is learnt.
The crew took no action against the man and he was allowed to leave along with the others, the woman has alleged.
The Tata-owned Air India told the aviation regulator Thursday that its staff had not complained to law enforcement about the drunk man, a Mumbai businessman, because the aggrieved lady had “rescinded” an initial request for action after the two “appeared” to have sorted out the issue.
Air India on Thursday sent a reply to DGCA’s 4 January notice, detailing the incident on board AI 102 flight on 26 November, 2022.
It stated the unnamed business class offender has been banned from flying on Air India for 30 days, pending a report of its internal committee.
The committee has obtained the necessary documentation and held its first hearing, news agency PTI said, quoting from Air India’s reply.
The alleged perpetrator has requested for additional documents prior to a second hearing scheduled for 10 January, they said.
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