Airlines must report each unruly action of flyers on board: DGCA advisory

Airlines must file a complaint anytime a passenger has been unruly onboard, India’s aviation regulator said in an advisory on Friday, warning carriers of strict action if they do not comply with regulations on flight safety.

The advisory came against the backdrop of revelations that a passenger onboard an international Air India flight in November urinated on a co-passenger in business class. The incident came to light this week.

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Under fire for its conduct, Air India’s chief executive and chief of operations too wrote emails to staff with directions to flag any incidents of misbehaviour. The CEO said staff must flag all incidents, even if there had been a resolution in the case of two different

The regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), did not identify the trigger for its advisory, but said that it has “observed that post holders, pilots and cabin crew members have failed to take appropriate actions”.

“Head of operations are hereby advised to sensitise pilots, cabin crew and director-in-flight services of their respective airlines on the topic of handling of unruly passenger through appropriate means under intimation to DGCA… Any non-compliance towards applicable regulations will be dealt with strictly and invite enforcement action”, the regulator said.

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A DGCA official, who asked not to be named, said the advisory was meant to reiterate the rules and the consequences of violations in light of the November incident, and another that came to light on Thursday, of a man purportedly urinating on the blanket of a co-passenger, also on an Air India flight.

An airline, the person added, is bound to report such matters but in both cases, Air India did not.

The advisory reiterated some of the provisions of the rules issued in 2017, including the use of restraining devices should all conciliatory approaches fail.

Campbell Wilson, the CEO of Air India, while only indirectly referring to the incident as the one “in media headlines” asked staff to report all onboard incidents at the earliest.

In an internal communication, seen by HT, Wilson said: “…if an incident on our aircraft involves improper behaviour of such magnitude, we must report it to authorities at the earliest opportunity, even if we genuinely believe that the matter has been settled between the parties involved. The same applies in the case of passengers deemed to meet the threshold of ‘unruly’.”

Wilson said the crew must be clear on the standard of behaviour that is expected onboard Air India flights and take firm, decisive and timely action against those who do not comply.

“I have asked that these, and other relevant aspects of the Safety & Emergency Procedures Manual, be immediately reiterated by operating departments and reinforced in recurrent training, and I ask each of you to reflect on what you would do if faced with such situations. As in any other area, knowledge and preparation underpin confidence and outcome,” he said.

Wilson in his letter said that the repulsion felt by the affected passenger was “understandable and we share her distress”.

The passenger, a woman aged 72 years, sent an e-mail to the chairman of the Tata Group, N Chandrasekaran the day after her ordeal, but the airline still did not act against the perpetrator.

Air India chief of operations RS Sandhu too wrote to company staff, asking flight crew to report all incidents that take place on board, in an internal communication sent on Friday.

“We encourage to you to ensure cabin ambience is controlled in a manner that our guests feel safe and comfortable, be assertive while dealing with disruptive or unruly guests and do not accept any unsocial behaviour, identify the potential disruption and communicate to CS (cabin supervisor) and keep PIC (pilot-in-command) informed,” said the communication, seen by HT.

The official also asked its crew to follow rules. “Follow laid down procedure of handing-over the disruptive guest to regulatory authorities on arrivals, ensure that all guests behave in a manner which is conducive to the comfort of guests and do not disturb other guests,” the email said.

Calling Air India’s conduct ‘devoid of empathy’, the regulator on Thursday issued a show-cause notice asking the airline why action should not be taken over the November 26 incident.

The November incident came to light on Wednesday. A seemingly inebriated passenger in the business class urinated upon a co-flyer, a woman in her seventies, during a flight on November 26. In the aftermath, the crew allegedly did not act promptly enough to make the situation comfortable for the latter, the victim alleged.

A second similar incident was reported on Thursday where a drunk male passenger urinated on a female passenger’s blanket in Air India’s Paris- Delhi flight on December 6. Air India said it reported the matter as per protocol and the two people involved in the incident reached an understanding when the matter went to the CISF.