New Delhi: Strongly disapproving of Air India’s handling of a Mumbai man urinating on a woman passenger on a flight last year and walking away without facing action, the aviation regulator today said the airline’s conduct was “unprofessional” and led to “systemic failure”.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued notice to some officials of the Tata Group-owned airline, the pilot of the flight and the crew, asking them to reply within two weeks.
On November 26, Mumbai businessman Shankar Mishra allegedly unzipped and urinated on an elderly woman in the business class of an Air India flight from New York to Delhi. Shockingly, when the flight landed, Shankar Mishra was allowed to leave without any repercussions. Air India didn’t complain to the police until this week, only after the woman’s letter to the group chairman of Air India, N Chandrasekaran, surfaced.
“… it emerges that provisions related to handling of an unruly passenger on-board have not been complied with,” the DGCA said in a statement.
“The conduct of the concerned airline appears to be unprofessional and has led to a systemic failure.”
The aviation watchdog said it has issued notice to the airline’s accountable manager, director in-flight services, all the pilots and cabin crew members of that flight asking them to explain within two weeks why action should not be taken against them.
