NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has termed the urination incident on Air India flight AI 102 as ‘unprofessional’. The Tata-owned Airlines, top brass, and the pilot on board have been asked to furnish an explanation in two weeks.
The conduct of the concerned airline appears to be unprofessional and has led to a systemic failure. Prima facie it lacks appreciation of regulatory obligations as described in applicable Aircraft Rules 1937, Civil Aviation Requirements on ‘Handling of Unruly Passengers’, Cabin Safety Circular, Air India Operations Manual, Air India Safety and Emergency Procedure Manual, and Air India Quick Reference Handbook and is devoid of empathy,” the DGCA said in a statement.
A show cause notice has been issued to the Accountable Manager of M/s Air India, Director in-flight Services of M/s Air India, and all the pilots and cabin crew members of that flight as to why enforcement action should not be taken against them for dereliction of their regulatory obligations.
The notice pertains to an act of shamelessness that took place on an Air India flight from New York to Delhi, on November 26. As per reports and the details given by the co-passenger who faced the embarrassment, a drunk passenger on board urinated on her. The incident came to light after the passenger wrote a letter to the group chairman of Air India, N Chandrasekaran. The airline on instructions of the chief immediately filed a police complaint.
As per the search conducted by the Delhi police, the man is identified as a Mumbai-based businessman who is yet to be traced. The passenger is however,banned from flying on their airline for 30 days and an internal committee enquiry into the matter has also been generated.