Urination Incident On Flight; DGCA Issues Show Cause Notice to Air India

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India issued a show cause notice to Air India officials and crew members, including the pilot, on Thursday for the November 26 urination incident on the New York-Delhi flight.

Urination Incident on Air India Flight AI-102 from New York to New Delhi

Notably, A Mumbai-based businessman peed on a female passenger on a flight from New York to New Delhi in November. The DGCA criticized Air India for how it handled the situation and referred to the airline’s actions as “unprofessional” and “devoid of empathy.”

The DGCA in its show cause notice said;

“The incident of passenger misbehaviour which occurred on AI-102 flight on 26.11.2022 from New York to New Delhi, came to the notice of DGCA on 04.01.2023 wherein a male passenger conducted himself in a disorderly manner and allegedly relieved himself on a female passenger.”

For fact-finding, DGCA sought the details of the incident from Air India and on the basis of the reply of the airline, prima facie it emerges that provisions related to the handling of an unruly passenger on board have not been complied with.

“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 added.

In view of this, The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India has issued Show Cause notices to the Accountable Manager of Air India, the Director of In-Flight Services of Air India, and all pilots and cabin crew members of flight AI-102, which took place on November 26, 2022, from New York to New Delhi.

The DGCA has given Air India two weeks to submit their replies and stated that further action will be taken based on their responses.

Delhi Police may issue a lookout circular

According to a report of India Today, the man who urinated on a female co-passenger on an Air India flight has been identified as Shankar Mishra, the vice-president of the India Chapter of Wells Fargo, a California-based American multinational financial services company.

On Thursday, Delhi Police wrote to the appropriate authorities requesting a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Shankar Mishra. According to sources, the Delhi Police has sought a LOC against Mishra because he is incommunicado and refusing to cooperate with the police investigation.