Urinatation incident: Air India grounds crew over handling of unruly passenger on flight

NEW DELHI: Air India has issued show cause notice and de-rostered one pilot and four cabin crew as it investigates the handling of an unruly passenger on a flight from New York to Delhi in November, the airline’s chief executive office said on Saturday.

The Tata group-owned airline has faced criticism from India’s aviation regulator following an incident on a November26 flight in which a male passenger, while apparently inebriated, urinated on a female co-passenger.

A second similar incident occurred last month on a flight from Paris to Delhi.

“Air India acknowledges that it could have handled these matters better, both in the air and on the ground and is committed to taking action,” the airline’s CEO and managing director Campbell Wilson said in a statement on Saturday.

Wilson said Air India has initiated multiple measures to improve its response to such incidents, including a review of airline policies and reporting processes.

A male passenger accused of misbehaviour on the New York to Delhi flight has been terminated by his employer Wells Fargo , the bank said on Friday, adding that it was cooperating with local law enforcement.

Local media said on Saturday that the passenger had been arrested by Indian police.

Air India will provide full cooperation to the affected passenger, regulators and law enforcement authorities, Wilson said.

“We are committed to providing a safe environment for customers and crew, as well as operating in full compliance with all laws and regulations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shankar Mishra, accused of urinating on an elderly co-passenger, will be produced in the Patiala House Court on Saturday afternoon.

Mishra, a resident of Mumbai, will be produced before the court possibly after 2pm, sources said, IANS reported.

He has been booked under Sections 510 (misconduct in public by a drunken person), 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman), 294 (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place), 354 (intending to outrage modesty) of the Indian Penal Code as well as a section of the Aircraft Rules Act in a case registered at the IGI airport police station.

He was arrested on Friday night from Bengaluru.

Media reports said Mishra had switched his phone off but remained in touch with his friends over social media and made a credit card transaction in India's IT capital Bangalore, which gave away his location.

He was being brought to capital New Delhi where police are investigating the allegations, the reports said.

A police spokesperson in Delhi confirmed Mishra's arrest to AFP without giving any other details.

Wells Fargo said Friday its employee had been sacked after the "deeply disturbing" allegations came to light.

Mishra has been terminated as the Vice President of the India chapter of US-based financial services company Wells Fargo.