The airline also received another rap for two other incidents on a flight 10 days later which were not reported to the regulator and involved another passenger relieving himself on an unoccupied seat.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a second show-cause notice to Air India over a span of five days.
The latest reprimand is over two events on a December 6 flight from Paris to New Delhi during which a passenger was caught smoking in the lavatory. The passenger was also in an inebriated condition and refused to listen to the crew’s instructions. On the same flight, another passenger allegedly relieved himself on a seat which was vacant because its woman occupant had briefly gone to the toilet.
‘Delayed response’
Noting that the airline had failed to report the incident until January 5, the DGCA said “the response of the airline has been lackadaisical and delayed”.
“DGCA has issued show-cause notice to Accountable Manager of M/s Air India as to why enforcement action should not be taken against them for dereliction of their regulatory obligations,” the regulator said in a statement about the airline’s failure to comply with rules laid down by it for dealing with unruly passengers, which includes the requirement of reporting the incident to the DGCA within 12 hours after an aircraft lands. The airline has been given two weeks to respond.
The DGCA also asked the airline to constitute an internal complaints committee to inquire into the two incidents of December 6 which can lead to the imposition of a lifetime ban on a passenger. It also said that until the committee arrives at a decision, the airline should also consider banning such passengers for up to 30 days.
The DGCA had last week issued a similar show-cause notice for a “systemic failure” in responding to a situation where Shankar Mishra urinated on a woman traveller in an inebriated state.
The airline failed to hand him over to the CISF or report the matter to the regulator and the police.