The civil aviation regulator, 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 pertaining to passengers' misbehaviour onboard the Paris-New Delhi flight on December 6, 2022.
Two incidents of passenger misbehaviour were reported on the December 26 Paris-New Delhi Flight. While in the first instance, a drunk flyer was smoking in the toilet, the second involved a man peeing on a woman's seat.
This was the second 'pee gate' case after a man allegedly urinated on an elderly woman on an Air India flight from New York to New Delhi on November 26, 2022. In this case, a man in an inebriated state allegedly urinated on a female co-passenger’s blanket on an Air India flight on December 6 while the flight was coming from Paris to Delhi.
"Two incidents of passengers misbehaving onboard Paris-New Delhi flight occurred on December 6, 2022, and were brought to the notice of the DGCA. In first incident, a passenger was caught smoking in lavatory, was drunk & didn't listen to the crew," the DGCA notice read.
"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 Air India through email dated 06.01.2023, prima facie it emerges that provisions related to handling of an unruly passenger... have not been complied with. It has been noted that the response of the airline has been lackadaisical and delayed," the DGCA said in a statement.
Shankar Mishra, who was apprehended for urinating on a woman on an Air India flight from New York to Delhi on November 26, 2022, was "incoherent" after having too many beers, according to a co-passenger. Mishra has been sent to judicial detention for the next two weeks. The 34-year-old accused, Shankar Mishra was arrested by Delhi Police on January 7.
Reacting to the incident, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran on Sunday said that the airline's response should have been quicker. "Air India's response should have been much swifter. We fell short of addressing this situation the way it should have been," Chandrasekaran said in a statement. The CEO of the airline apologised for how the situation was handled, announced that four cabin crew members and a pilot had been de-listed, and said that the policy regarding the dispensing of alcohol on flights was being examined.
"The Tata group and Air India stand by the safety and well-being of our passengers with full conviction. We will review and repair every process to prevent or address any incidents of such unruly nature," the statement further read.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that speedy action will be taken in the case.
(With inputs from PTI.)