This is the second such incident in the last few months where a flyer relieved himself on a fellow passenger in an inebriated state
March 05, 2023 10:13 am | Updated 12:21 pm IST - New Delhi
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An inebriated Indian student in an American Airlines flight from New York to Delhi allegedly urinated and soiled a male co-passenger on March 4, with the Delhi Police saying necessary legal action is being taken on the basis of a complaint from the airline.
The airline has submitted a report about the incident to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The airline seems to have handled the situation professionally and have taken all appropriate action, a senior official at the regulator told PTI.
The incident happened in flight AA292 which landed at the Delhi airport at 9.50 p.m. on Saturday.
When contacted, American Airlines in a statement on Sunday said the flight was “met by local enforcement upon arrival in Delhi due to a disruptive customer” but did not provide specific details about the incident.
Delhi airport DCP Devesh Kumar Mahla on Sunday said a complaint of urination on a co-passenger has been received from American Airlines against one person, who is a student in the U.S.. The person is a resident of Defonce Colony in the national capital.
“We are taking necessary legal action,” he said.
“The accused is a student in a U.S. university. He was in a state of inebriation and urinated while he was asleep. It somehow leaked and fell on a fellow passenger who complained to the crew,” a source at the airport said.
According to the source, the male victim was not keen on reporting the matter to the police after the student apologized as it might put his career in jeopardy.
However, the airline took it seriously and reported it to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at the airport.
After the crew came to know about the incident on board, they informed the pilot who reported the matter to the ATC, which further alerted the CISF personnel who handed over the accused passenger to the Delhi police.
“The airline’s own security team, along with the CISF, came into action after the incident came to light. The accused was immediately taken into custody once the flight landed. Police are recording the statements of the persons concerned,” another source at the airport told PTI.
In a statement, American Airlines said its flight 292 with service from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Indira Gandhi International Airport was met by local law enforcement upon arrival in Delhi due to a disruptive customer.
“The flight landed safely at 9:50 p.m.. We’re grateful to our crew members who are consistently dedicated to the safety and care of our customers and handled the circumstances with the utmost professionalism,” the airline said.
According to the Civil Aviation Rules, if a passenger is found guilty of unruly behaviors, besides action under criminal law, he will be banned from flying for a particular time period, depending on the level of the offence. ALSO READ | DGCA asks Air India to explain laxity in responding to woman’s complaint
This is the second such incident in the last few months where a flyer relieved himself on a fellow passenger in an inebriated state.
On November 26, an almost similar incident took place on a New York-Delhi Air India flight, in which a man named Shankar Mishra had allegedly urinated in a drunken state on an elderly woman.
That incident came to light almost a month later through a media report, after which an FIR was lodged and Mr. Mishra was arrested. He was released on bail after spending nearly a month in jail.
The DGCA imposed a fine of ₹30 lakh on Air India for not reporting the matter within 12 hours of the incident in accordance with the norm.
While the Delhi Police is investigating the matter, Mr. Mishra has been banned from flying for four months.
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