A shocking incident of passenger violence unfolded at the Delhi airport on Sunday, now widely known as the ‘Indigo Assault.’ A man slapped an IndiGo pilot who was announcing the delay of a flight to Goa due to fog. The aftermath of the ‘Indigo Assault’ raises concerns about passenger behavior during unforeseen circumstances.
The video, which went viral on social media, showed the passenger, identified as Sahil Kataria, running up to the pilot, Anup Kumar, and hitting him on the face, while the cabin crew and other passengers tried to intervene. The pilot had replaced the previous crew of the aircraft as per the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms after several hours of delay
A passenger punched an Indigo capt in the aircraft as he was making delay announcement. The guy ran up from the last row and punched the new Capt who replaced the previous crew who crossed FDTL. Unbelievable ! @DGCAIndia @MoCA_GoI pic.twitter.com/SkdlpWbaDd
— Capt_Ck (@Capt_Ck) January 14, 2024
The FDTL are regulations that ensure the well-being of pilots and flight attendants by mandating adequate rest periods and reducing fatigue-related safety concerns. The responsibility for establishing FDTL falls under the jurisdiction of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The passenger was later taken out of the plane and handed over to the authorities. The pilot filed a complaint against him and the airline is in the process of filing an official case. Many people on social media condemned the passenger’s behaviour and called for strict action against him, including putting him on the no-fly list.
The incident came amid significant disruptions at the Delhi airport, where as many as 110 flights experienced delays and 79 flights were cancelled on Monday, according to the flight tracker website flightradar24. The average delay reached 50 minutes, adding to the growing frustration of passengers already grappling with extensive flight disruptions.
On Saturday, actor Radhika Apte took to Instagram to share her harrowing experience with the airline, after she and her fellow passengers were locked at the aerobridge of the Mumbai airport for several hours. She said that the IndiGo staff were clueless and the passengers, including senior citizens and babies, were deprived of food and loo breaks.
This is not the first time that IndiGo has faced criticism for its poor customer service and handling of flight delays. In 2017, a video of IndiGo staff manhandling a passenger at the Delhi airport sparked outrage and prompted an apology from the airline’s president.
IndiGo is India’s largest airline by market share and operates over 1,500 flights per day. However, it has also been plagued by issues such as engine failures, technical glitches, and staff shortages, which have affected its punctuality and safety record
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