Importance Score: 72 / 100 🔴
Air India Investigates Passenger for Alleged In-Flight Urination Incident
Authorities are investigating an Air India passenger following accusations of disruptive behavior after he allegedly urinated on a fellow passenger during a flight to Bangkok. The incident, involving a business class traveler, reportedly occurred shortly before flight AI 2336 from New Delhi was scheduled to arrive in the Thai capital on Wednesday, prompting an internal inquiry and police involvement.
Details of the Incident
According to an Air India spokesperson, lavatories on the flight, which lasted over four hours, were “functional” at the time of the alleged incident. The victim, identified as a managing director of a company, reportedly expressed strong disapproval of the offensive act.
Crew Response and Investigation
Flight crew members reportedly offered assistance to the affected passenger in filing a formal complaint with Bangkok police. However, this offer was “declined at the time.” The airline has reported the matter to the relevant authorities and initiated an internal committee investigation to assess the incident and determine appropriate action against the passenger.
Passenger Behavior and Alcohol Consumption
Sources indicated to The Times of India that the passenger in question had consumed alcohol during the long-haul flight, as had several other travelers. However, these sources also stated that he “was not inebriated” at the time of the alleged urination incident.
Past Incidents of Passenger Misconduct
Regrettably, this is not an isolated event. Numerous reports of passengers urinating on fellow travelers after consuming alcohol have surfaced in recent years, highlighting a concerning trend in air travel.
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Business Class Setting
The recent incident occurred within the business class cabin of the Air India flight. Business class seating in this configuration typically involves a two-by-two arrangement. It is understood that both the alleged offender and the victim were business class passengers, though their precise seating arrangements relative to one another remain unclear.
Airline Protocol and Official Statements
Air India has stated that the cabin crew adhered to “all laid down procedures” upon being alerted to the incident and that authorities were promptly notified.
In an official statement, the airline conveyed that “In addition to cautioning the unruly passenger, our crew offered to help an aggrieved passenger to take up a grievance with authorities in Bangkok, which was declined at the time.” The statement further emphasized the convening of an “independent committee…to assess the incident and determine the action, if any, to be taken against the unruly passenger.”
Government Response
India’s Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, has acknowledged the incident, stating that the ministry is taking it seriously. “Whenever these kinds of incidents happen, the ministry takes note of them. They will speak to the airline, and if there is any wrongdoing, then we will take necessary action,” Kinjarapu told NDTV.
Similar Past Air India Incident
This recent event echoes a prior incident that brought significant negative publicity to Air India in November 2022. In that case, a business class passenger urinated on an elderly woman during a flight from New York to New Delhi.
2022 Incident Details and Aftermath
The passenger involved in the 2022 incident was identified as Shankar Mishra, then a vice president at Wells Fargo. Following the incident, Mishra was terminated from his position and faced accusations of urinating on the 72-year-old woman. Reports indicated that Mishra was allegedly intoxicated at the time.
The victim’s complaint detailed how Mishra reportedly approached her seat from a few rows behind, unzipped his trousers, and urinated on her, stopping only when a fellow passenger intervened.
Mishra’s legal representatives claimed that the woman had “condoned” his actions and that he had provided compensation and paid for cleaning services for her belongings. Despite these claims, Mishra was arrested, charged with sexual harassment and public misconduct, and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody, according to BBC reports.
Following the 2022 incident, Air India took action by removing a pilot and four cabin crew members from duty. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson publicly expressed “regret” and “pain” regarding the “embarrassing scandal” and pledged to implement a more “robust reporting system for unruly behaviour on Air India flights.”
Other Recent In-Flight Urination Cases
In another instance highlighting this issue, in March 2023, a US university student was apprehended in India after allegedly urinating on a passenger on an American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi.
American Airlines Incident
The student, Aryan Vohra, 21, was reportedly discovered urinating on a fellow passenger while “heavily intoxicated.” An Indian national traveling to India for his sister’s wedding, Vohra allegedly disregarded crew instructions and exhibited “misbehavior” while being escorted off the aircraft by security personnel upon landing in New Delhi.
Vohra was subsequently arrested by police and permanently banned from flying with American Airlines.