Urination on Air India flight: DGCA says unprofessional conduct by staff, issues show cause notice

Indian aviation watchdog DGCA has issued a show cause notice to the Air India officials and crew for November 26 urination incident on the New York-Delhi flight. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has further stated that the conduct of the Tata-owned airline appears to be unprofessional and has led to systemic failure. Air India earlier said that the unnamed business class offender has been banned from flying on Air India for 30 days, pending a report of its Internal Committee. The Committee has obtained the necessary documentation and held its first hearing, sources said, quoting from Air India's reply.

While the investigation of the shocking November 26, 2022 incident on the New York-Delhi Air India flight is undergoing, another episode of a drunk male passenger allegedly urinating on a female passenger's blanket was reported on the Paris-Delhi sector but there was no penal action after he gave a written apology, officials said on Thursday.

This incident happened on December 6 on Air India flight 142 and the pilot of the aircraft reported the matter to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport about it, following which the male passenger was apprehended.

As for the first incident, the Tata Group-owned former national airline, Air India, had responded to aviation watchdog DGCA in written a reply. DGCA had sought a response from Air India on the matter. The airline said that its staff had not complained to law enforcement about the Mumbai businessman who allegedly urinated on a female passenger on a New York-Delhi flight in November as the aggrieved lady had "rescinded" an initial request for action after the two "appeared" to have sorted out the issue.