A mid-air brawl in which a flyer caused physical harm to two cabin crew members onboard its Delhi-London flight on Monday prompted Air India to return to the national capital and deboard the unruly passenger who was handed over to security personnel.
The flight which took off from Indira Gandhi International Airport at 6:35 am landed back at 9:40 am without heading to London's Heathrow Airport after the crew reported the matter to the pilot. The airlines filed a complaint with the police.
"Not heeding verbal and written warnings, the passenger continued with unruly behaviour including causing physical harm to two of the cabin crew members," Air India said in a statement.
The pilot in command decided to return to Delhi airport "due to the serious unruly behaviour of the passenger", it said. Air India has rescheduled the flight, which had 225 passengers, to the afternoon.
The incident has also been reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Sources said the passenger had entered into a brawl with two cabin crew members.
"Safety, security and dignity of all on board are important to us at Air India. We are providing all possible support to the affected crew members. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers," Air India said.
In recent times, there have been various incidents of unruly passengers onboard domestic and international flights -- most of them for violations related to not wearing masks or not obeying the instructions of the crew members
A total of 149 flyers were placed on the 'No Fly List' for various duration from 2020. Of the 63 flyers who have been put on the list in 2022, two are involved in urinating inside aircraft.