As instances of unruly behaviour continue, the aviation regulator Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an advisory to airlines asking them to take strict action against unruly passengers in order to ensure aircraft safety.
Other than this, the aviation regulator also advised the heads of operations of all airlines to sensitise their pilots, cabin crew and postholders on handling of unruly passengers through appropriate means.
According to the advisory, there are provisions under the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) for action to be taken by the airline to deal with unruly passengers and the responsibilities of pilots, cabin crew members and the director of inflight services are also mentioned in the CAR.
Airlines to categorise unruly passengers into THESE categories
Airlines shall categorise all such unruly passenger behaviour into three levels and such people can face a flying ban for varying periods.
- Level 1 - Unruly behaviour such as physical gestures, verbal harassment and unruly inebriation.
- Level 2 - Physically abusive behaviour like pushing, kicking or sexual harassment.
- Level 3 - Life-threatening behaviour such as damage to aircraft operating systems, physical violence like choking and murderous assault.
An internal committee set up by the airline concerned can decide on the duration for which an unruly passenger can be banned from flying.
Air India deboards passengers misbehaving with crew
Earlier in the day, Air India deboarded a passenger from its Delhi-London flight as the passenger allegedly got engaged in a brawl with flight crew members in mid-air. The Delhi-London (AI-111) flight turned around due to the 'unruly' passenger onboard. The airline has lodged a complaint against the passenger with the Delhi Airport Police. As per the latest updates, the passenger is currently at the PS Delhi Airport.
Drunk passenger tries to open emergency window on IndiGo flight
Earlier, a drunk flyer onboard an IndiGo flight tried to open the flap of an emergency door. As per the official statement from the airlines, a 40-year-old flyer onboard an IndiGo flight tried to open the emergency door flap of the aircraft in an inebriated state on a Delhi-Bengaluru flight at around 7:56 am on Friday (April 7). The matter was reported to the concerned agencies and after the aircraft landed in Bengaluru the passenger was handed over to Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials.
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