New Delhi: India’s aviation regulator has fined Air India Rs 30 lakh and suspended the licence of its pilot for three months in connection with their handling of an incident where a passenger urinated on another on a November flight from New York to Delhi.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has also imposed a penalty of Rs 3 lakh on the director-in-flight services of Air India for “failing to discharge her duties”, PTI has reported on Thursday.
A day ago, Air India had imposed a four-month flying ban on the passenger, Shankar Mishra, who was arrested on January 7. Hindustan Times has reported that the internal report released by Air India identified him as an “unruly passenger.”
Meanwhile Mishra’s lawyers have alleged inaccuracies in Air India’s report, alleging that the seat at which Mishra is accused to have stood while urinating at the co-passenger did not exist at all in the business class of the flight.
Mishra’s case made headlines only after it emerged that the airlines had slapped him with a 30-day ban. Many argued that it was much less than penalties imposed for lesser offences.
The airline filed a police complaint only this year.