DGCA issues show cause notice to Air India over urinating incident

DGCA has asked the airline why action should not be taken against its officials and crew for dereliction of duty, officials said

Issuing show cause notices to Air India officials and crew, the country's civil aviation regulator on Thursday criticised the Tata-owned airline for its "unprofessional conduct" that led to a "systemic failure" in dealing with the incident of a drunk passenger urinating on a 70-year-old woman flier on its New York-Delhi flight.

The decision of issuing show cause notices by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) came even as the Air India claimed to the regulator that its staff had not complained to police about Shekhar Mishra, a Mumbai-based businessman, who allegedly urinated on the woman flier on November 26 last year, following the aggrieved woman "rescinding" an initial request for action after the two "appeared" to have sorted out the issue.

The DGCA has asked the airline why action should not be taken against its officials and crew for dereliction of duty and gave two weeks time to reply.

Read | Air India explains why it didn't report man peeing on co-flyer incident to DGCA

This also came on a day a second incident of a "drunk" flier allegedly urinating on the blanket of a woman passenger on the Paris-Delhi Air India flight on December 6 last year has surfaced.

In a statement, the DGCA said the November 26 incident came to its notice only on January 4. It said the DGCA had sought the details of the incident from Air India and on the basis of the response, prima facie it emerged that the airline have not complied with the provisions related to handling of an unruly passenger.

"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 said.

The DGCA issued show cause notices to the Accountable Manager, Director in-flight Services, all the pilots and cabin crew members of that flight as to why action should not be taken against them for dereliction of their regulatory obligations. "However, to meet the ends of justice, they have been given two weeks time to submit their reply to DGCA and based on that further action will be taken," the DGCA said.

Officials said the second incident took place on December six last year on the Air India flight with 142 passengers, ten days after the first incident in which Mishra allegedly urinated on a 70-year-old woman flier and walked away without facing action, as the crew did not press for action.

However, in the second incident, the pilot reported the matter to Air Traffic Control at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and the alleged offender, who was under the influence of alcohol and defying the instructions of the crew, was apprehended. Officials said he was allowed to go after he submitted a "written apology" and there was a "mutual compromise" between the two fliers. The woman passenger also did not file a police complaint.

The first incident on New York-Delhi flight on November 26 created a furore after the woman passenger wrote an email to Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran complaining about the crew not being supportive of her. Following this, Air India imposed a one-month flying ban on the alleged offender, a Mumbai-based businessman, while reporting it to the DGCA. Delhi Police registered an FIR on Wednesday following a complaint from Air India.