DGCA sends another show cause notice to Air India
The regulator said that one passenger was caught smoking in the lavatory, was drunk and not listening to the crew,and another allegedly relieved himself on a vacant seat of a female passenger.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show cause notice to the accountable manager of Air India as to why enforcement action should not be taken against them for dereliction of their regulatory obligations. (Representational)
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued another show cause notice to Air India for not following procedures to handle unruly passengers on a flight between Paris and Delhi.
The regulator said that there were two incidents on an Air India Flight (AI-142) from Paris to New Delhi on December 6, 2022.
The regulator said that one passenger was caught smoking in the lavatory, was drunk and not listening to the crew, another allegedly relieved himself on a vacant seat and blanket of a fellow female passenger when she went to the lavatory.
This is second show cause notice to Air India by the aviation regulator with the first notice on an incident that happened on Air India flight AI102 – operating between New York and New Delhi – on November 26th, 2022, where a passenger relieved himself on a fellow woman passenger in an inebriated condition. The regulator had termed the conduct of Air India in handling an unruly passenger ‘to be unprofessional and that has led to a systemic failure.’
“M/s Air India didn’t report the incident until DGCA sought the incident report from them on 05.01.2023. After perusal of the reply submitted by M/s Air India through email dated 06.01.2023, prima facie it emerges that provisions related to handling of unruly passengers have not been complied with. It has been noted that the response of the airline has been lackadaisical and delayed,” the aviation regulator said in a statement issued today.
As part of the notice, the regulator has given the airline two weeks time to submit their reply to the regulator ‘and based on that further action will be taken.’
In the November 26 incident, the accused – Shankar Mishra – was arrested by the Delhi Police on Saturday. Air India had filed a police complaint on December 28 – over a month after the incident – and the police lodged an FIR on January 4.
One of the unruly passengers on the Paris flight was detained at the airport but he was let go after the victim decided to not pursue her complaint. Air India did not even inform the regulator about unruly passengers on this flight.
In its statement, the regulator has reiterated that the concerned airline is responsible for informing the DGCA within 12 hours of landing of the aircraft in case of any incident of Unruly Passengers/Passenger Rage/Passenger Misconduct reported in their flight.
The airline then has to refer the incident to the internal committee consisting of three members from outside the airline.
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