An Air India flight AI 111 scheduled to travel from Delhi to London Heathrow on April 10, 2023, returned to Delhi airport shortly after departure after an unruly passenger caused physical harm to two of the crew members. The passenger had ignored verbal and written warnings, leading to the decision to return the flight to Delhi.
The official Air India statement stated that safety, security and dignity of all passengers and crew onboard was their utmost priority and expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to passengers due to the act. The flight was rescheduled to take off once again in the afternoon and the unruly passenger was handed over to security personnel upon landing. Legal action is being taken against the said passenger.
The unfortunate incident reminds us of when another passenger, Shankar Mishra, was arrested and an FIR lodged against him in January. On November last year, Mishra had urinated on a 70-year-old woman who was travelling with him on an Air India flight.
Air India is one of the country’s premier carriers and receives millions of passengers yearly. While the majority of flights occur without any issues, these breech of security incidents remind us of how important it is to be vigilant against any kind of misbehaviour or wrongdoing. The firm, along with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, is taking necessary actions to ensure that incidents like these do not reoccur.
