‘Use restraining devices’: DGCA to airlines on unruly passengers

The DGCA said the pilot in command is responsible for assessing a situation and relay information to the airline's central control on the ground for further action.

New Delhi, Jan 06: Amid outrage over incidents of Air India flyers urinating on co-passengers, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sent an advisory to airlines in handling unruly travellers.

In the guidelines - sent to the head of operations of scheduled airlines - the regulator has said that airline staff will face action if they fail to act against passengers who are unruly or behave inappropriately.

"In the recent past, DGCA has noticed a few incidents of unruly behavior and inappropriate conduct by the passengers on board the aircraft during flight, wherein it is observed that post holders, pilots and cabin crew members have failed to take appropriate actions," the statement read.

"Non-action/ inappropriate action/ omission by the airlines towards such untoward incidents has tarnished the image of air travel in different segments of society," it added.

The DGCA said the pilot in command is responsible for assessing a situation and relay information to the airline's central control on the ground for further action.

"Upon landing of the aircraft, airline representative shall lodge FIR with the concerned security agency at aerodrome, to whom, the unruly passenger shall be handed over," it said.

In the shocking incident, an inebriated man allegedly urinated on his female co-passenger, a senior citizen in her seventies, in the business class of an Air India New York-Delhi flight on November 26 last year. The other incident was reported on Paris-Delhi December 6 flight.

Air India has banned the accused for 30 days and told its staff to report any improper behaviour on aircraft to authorities at the earliest even if the matter appears to have been settled.

The regulator had sought a report from Air India on the incident which it did not report to the regulator. The airline said did not take any penal action against the accused as the case was settled between the passengers.