Air India has imposed a four-month flying ban on Shankar Mishra, currently in judicial custody in Delhi, on charges of urinating on a woman co-passenger on board a New York to Delhi Air India flight on November 26 last year.
The spokesperson for Air India said on Thursday that the independent three-member internal committee under the chairmanship of a former district judge concluded that Mishra is covered under the definition of "unruly passenger". It said that as a result, Air India is banning him from flying for a period of four months according to the relevant provisions of the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR).
"The passenger has already been put on the airline's 'No Fly List'. Air India has shared a copy of the Internal Committee report with the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and will also be intimating other airlines operating in the country," the spokesperson said.
Mishra was allegedly in an inebriated state at the time of the incident. On January 4, Air India said it had imposed a 30-day travel ban on Mishra but did not disclose the date from which the ban came into force. The committee can decide on the duration of the flying ban on the unruly passenger within 30 days, and there could be a lifetime ban.
After the committee takes the decision, the airline should maintain a database of all such unruly passengers and inform the same to DGCA, which is the custodian for maintaining the 'No Fly List'.