On a flight between New York and New Delhi, a drunk man urinated on a passenger who immediately reported the incident to the crew. Authorities are waiting for legal action to be taken against the man. The airline has faced criticism from India‘s aviation regulator and watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), for its handling of the situation.
The event occurred on November 26th, on a flight from New York to New Delhi. When the lights were turned off, the drunk man approached the seat of a 70-year-old woman, showed her his private parts and urinated all over her. He only stopped until the other passengers asked him to do so.
I am upset because the airline made no attempt to ensure my safety or comfort during this incident.
Passenger
In early January, the DGCA announced that it had asked further information from the airline. According to CNN, the DGCA’s initial review revealed that Air India had not complied with the guidelines related to the handling of an unruly passenger on board. “The conduct of the concerned airline appears to be unprofessional and has led to a systemic failure,” the DGCA said in its statement, adding that had sent a notice to Air India’s executives, pilots and cabin crew members on the flight requesting a detailed explanation on why “action should not be taken against them for failing to uphold regulations,” CNN reported.
The bitter moment the woman experienced came to light earlier this 2023 because she wrote a letter to Natarajan Chandrasekaran, a leading Indian businessman and chairman of Tata Group, a conglomerate to which the airline belongs.
“The crew was not proactive in handling a very delicate and traumatic situation. I had to defend myself throughout, waiting for long periods of time to get a response. I am upset because the airline made no attempt to ensure my safety or comfort during this incident,” the woman wrote.
She said she did not feel protected by Air India, given that when they arrived at their destination the man was not detained and left as if nothing had happened.
Regarding the letter, Natarajan sent a request to the airline to take action. Air India informed that it had already reported the offender to the relevant authorities, in addition to putting the man on a ‘no fly’ list. The case is still under investigation.
