An IndiGo pilot was physically assaulted by a passenger onboard the aircraft as he made announcement of the flight being delayed. The video of the incident has now gone viral on social media, with users condemning both the carrier for poor services and the passenger for the unruly behaviour.
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The incident took place on the IndiGo flight (6E-2175) from Delhi to Goa which had already faced delays due to extreme fog conditions. IndiGo has now filed a complaint against the passenger, identified as Sahil Kataraia.
The viral video shows Sahil in a yellow hoodie suddenly jumping from the last row and attacking the new pilot, who had just replaced the old crew of the plane owing to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) standards. FDT are regulations to ensure the well-being of pilots and flight attendants by mandating adequate rest periods and mitigating fatigue-related safety concerns.
Soon after the incident, the passenger was apprehended and handed over to the authorities. Delhi Police have also assured of urgent action into the matter.
“We will take appropriate legal action against the accused,” news agency ANI reported. According to sources quoted by ANI, the aviation security agency has also launched a probe into the matter,” said the Delhi Police.
The recent incident occurred amidst significant disruptions at the Delhi airport, where 110 flights faced delays and 79 were cancelled, as reported by the flight tracker website flightradar24. With an average delay of 50 minutes, passengers already dealing with extensive disruptions faced growing frustration.
On Sunday (January 14), flights at the Delhi airport encountered severe delays, some exceeding seven or eight hours, mainly due to adverse weather conditions, including dense fog in North India. Major airlines, including IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Vistara, have cautioned against flight delays due to persistent bad weather in Delhi and Kolkata.
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While reacting to the video, netizens have called for strong action against the passenger but also demanded airlines exhibit more professionalism.
“This person should be booked for assault as well as put on a No Fly List. While @IndiGo6E is in the news for all the wrong reasons and must be taken to task for its shortcomings, but this is totally unacceptable passenger behaviour,” wrote a user on X.
(With inputs from agencies)