Air India: Man gets 30-day ban for urinating on co-passenger
Air India on Wednesday banned a man from traveling with the airline for 30 days after he, in an inebriated state, urinated on an elderly woman co-passenger in the business class of a flight traveling from New York to Delhi on November 26. The airline filed a police complaint and constituted an internal committee to investigate the lapses on part of the cabin crew.
Why does this story matter?
- The action comes nearly 40 days after the incident, following media reports about the woman's letter to N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons—which owns Air India.
- After the flight took off and the lights were switched off, the accused walked up to the woman (71), and urinated on her.
- After landing, the crew let him walk off scot-free despite being aware of the situation.
DGCA seeks report from Air India
After being informed about the incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) sought a report on it from Air India. The passenger has been banned for 30 days or until the decision of the internal committee, whichever is earlier. If the accused is found guilty, action will be taken against him as per regulatory guidelines, the airline stated on Wednesday.
Man continued exposing his private parts to the woman
After flight AI-102 departed from New York City's JFK Airport at around 1 pm (local time), lunch was served, following which the lights were turned off. It was then that the accused, completely drunk, walked up to the woman sitting beside the aisle. He unzipped his pants, relieved himself, and continued flashing his private parts to her until another passenger asked him to leave.
Crew gave her pajamas, slippers to change into
The elderly woman's clothes, shoes, bag, and seat were completely soaked in urine. She immediately informed the cabin crew about the incident, which a stewardess verified, and sprayed disinfectant on the woman's bag and shoes. She was given pajamas and disposable slippers to change into. She didn't want to return to the stinking seat and stood near the toilet for about 20 minutes.
Several seats were vacant in the first class
Following this, she was given a narrow crew seat where she sat for an hour before being asked to return to her seat, on which the crew had put sheets. She was given another crew seat two hours later. A fellow passenger later told her that several seats were vacant in the first class, but the crew didn't prioritize her, the letter said.
Incident not a first for Air India
A similar incident occurred on an Air India flight traveling from New York to Delhi in 2018 when a drunk man urinated on the seat of a woman passenger. The woman's daughter tweeted about the incident, prompting the Civil Aviation Ministry to seek a report.
