'Dereliction Of Duty': DGCA Issues Notices To Air India, Officials Over November 'Urination' Incident

It was referring to the incident in which an inebriated man allegedly urinated on a female senior citizen co-passenger in the business class.

Tata Group-owned Air India Flight

New Delhi: The aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has issued notices to the officials and crew of an Air India flight on November 26, 2022, asking why action should not be taken against them for "dereliction" of duty in the 'passenger peeing on woman' case, reported news agency PTI. It was referring to the incident in which an inebriated man allegedly urinated on a female senior citizen co-passenger in the business class. 

The DGCA said that, based on its investigation, it appears that provisions related to handling unruly passengers on board were not followed and that the conduct of the airline was unprofessional and showed a systemic failure. 

The DGCA also stated that the airline appeared to lack appreciation of its regulatory obligations and was "devoid of empathy."

The DGCA stated 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 occurred on November 26, shortly after the Air India flight left New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

It appears that a drunk man approached the business class passenger and urinated on her, soaking her clothing, bag, and footwear. It was also learned that he exposed himself.

The man, according to the woman, was allowed to leave with the others because the crew did not take any action against him.

The aggrieved lady had "rescinded" an initial request for action after the two "appeared" to have sorted out the issue, Air India, owned by Tata, informed the aviation regulator on Thursday that its employees had not reported the drunk Mumbai businessman to law enforcement.

Air India responded to the DGCA's notice dated January 4 with a response outlining the incident that occurred on board the AI 102 flight on November 26, 2022.

It stated that the unidentified offender in business class would not be able to fly on Air India for a period of thirty days while it waited for the internal committee's report.

According to the news agency PTI, which cited Air India's response, the committee has held its first hearing and has obtained the required documentation.

They stated that the alleged offender has requested additional documents prior to the second hearing, which is scheduled for January 10.