Jyotiraditya Scindia issues stern warning against 'unruly passengers' after IndiGo pilot hit
New Delhi: Responding to an incident on a Delhi-Goa IndiGo flight where a co-pilot was slapped by a passenger, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia issued a strong warning to ‘unruly passengers’ on Monday.
The incident occurred amid widespread flight delays and cancellations caused by fog.
"It is my earnest request to all travellers to bear with us during this difficult period. All stakeholders are trying their best to minimize passenger inconvenience. Incidences of unruly behaviour amidst this are unacceptable and will be dealt with strongly in line with the existing legal provisions," Scindia tweeted.
He, however, assured passengers that all stakeholders were working "round the clock to minimise the fog-related impact".Yesterday, Delhi witnessed unprecedented fog wherein visibility fluctuated for several hours, and at times, dropped to zero between 5 AM to 9 AM.
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) January 15, 2024
The authorities, therefore, were compelled to enforce a shut-down of operations for some time even on CAT III runways (CAT III…
A video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows the accused clad in a yellow jacket rushing towards a co-pilot and slapping him in the face.
The airline, however, stated that the incident is being forwarded to the independent internal committee for suitable action, including the potential inclusion of the accused passenger on the 'no-fly list' in accordance with regulatory guidelines.
The incident happened as the IndiGo pilot was announcing a delay in takeoff at the Delhi airport amid dense fog and low visibility.
The accused Sahil Kataria attacked the pilot during an announcement inside the aircraft.
Following the scuffle, Kataria was immediately deboarded and turned over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Co-pilot Anup Kumar lodged a complaint against the passenger with the Delhi Police, after which an FIR was registered in the case.
Subsequently, the passenger was sent to a police station and arrested.
He was later released on bail.
The incident took place amid substantial disruptions at the Delhi airport, where as many as 110 flights encountered delays and 79 flights were cancelled on the day, as reported by the flight tracking website flightradar24.
The flights were delayed as much as 50 minutes, adding to the mounting frustration among passengers already dealing with extensive flight disturbances.
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