Mid-flight brawl: DGCA issues advisory to deal with unruly passengers

New Delhi, April 11: Amid the incident of mid-flight brawl where passenger caused "physical harm" to cabin crew members, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an advisory to all airlines asking them to action against such behaviours during flight operations.

The advisory comes in the wake of a London-bound Air India flight returning to Delhi airport following a mid-air brawl in which a passenger caused "physical harm" to cabin crew members. The advisory also cited several other incidents that have happened in the recent past.

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DGCA advisory reads, "In the recent past, DGCA has noticed a few incidents of smoking in aircraft. consumption of alcoholic beverages resulting in unruly behaviour, altercations between passengers and sometimes inappropriate touching or sexual harassment by the passengers on board the aircraft during the flight, wherein post holders, pilots and Cabin Crew members have failed to take appropriate actions. Such incidents have the potential of compromising the safety of aircraft operations."   

"The individual's/Airline's responsibility for handling incidents of unruly behaviour including smoking in aircraft, consumption of alcoholic beverages resulting in unruly behaviour, altercations between passengers and incidents of inappropriate touching or sexual harassment by the passengers on board the aircraft during the flight have been specified under various provisions of the Aircraft Rules 1937, DGCA regulations. circulars and manuals of Airlines approved/ accepted by DCGA," it further read.

"Heads of operations of all Airlines are hereby advised to sensitize their pilots, Cabin Crew and post holders on the handling of unruly passengers through appropriate means including but not limited to training programmes for ensuring effective monitoring, maintenance of good order and discipline on board the aircraft safety of aircraft operations is not jeopardized in any manner," DGCA further stated. 

Notably, Air India flight took off for Heathrow Airport (London) around 6.30 am, returned to Delhi airport around 10 am after the crew reported to pilots about the physical altercation mid-flight.

After the plane landed at the Indira Gandhi International airport in the national capital, Air India filed a police complaint accusing the passenger of "indecent behaviour".

Legal action was being pursued against the said passenger, the airline said in its statement.

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The airline informed further that it also informed the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), about the incident.

Earlier also some unruly incidents took place in flights.