Sahil Kataria, a passenger aboard Delhi-Goa Indigo flight physically assaulted aircraft's pilot while he was making an announcement regarding delays.
The flight was delayed due to dense fog by several hours. The passenger has been handed over to the authorities after Indigo filed a complaint against him. The airlines is likely to lodge a formal case against the passenger.
In a viral video, a man identified as Sahil Kataria in a yellow hoodie abruptly ran up from the last row and hit Anup Kumar, the flight's co-captain. He shouted at the crew members that if they can't fly the plane let him get down. He was deeply frustrated by the alleged 13 hours delay in the flight.
The previous crew was replaced due to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms after several hours of delay.
FDT, which is well within the rules of Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is followed to ensure the well-being of pilots and flight attendants by mandating adequate rest periods and mitigating fatigue-related safety concerns.
The incident came in the backdrop of increasing frustrations of passengers, who are facing unprecedented delays and cancellation of flights. According to media reports, more than 100 flights have experienced delays while over 80 flights have been cancelled.
The dense fog enveloped the Delhi and this is causing disruption in flight operations.
“Frustrations are growing. But passengers can't take up violence. What's the fault of cabin crew and pilot if there is delay or cancellation in flight,” said Rameshwar Singh, a passenger stranded at Delhi airport.
Man held for misbehaving with Indigo staff
Recently, Bengaluru airport police arrested a passenger in an inebriated condition, who had flown down from Jaipur to Bengaluru in Indigo flight.
The passenger named Randhir Singh, 33 allegedly misbehaved with a female crew member mid-air in flight 6E556, which took off at 6.40 pm on Friday.
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