The airline admits it could have handled the mid-flight incident better.
Air India is investigating the various aspects of the shocking incident on its New York-Delhi flight in November and is also reviewing its alcohol-serving policy. The airline has also de-rostered a pilot and four cabin crew of that flight while the accused passenger has been arrested and sent to judicial custody.
Policy under review
The shocking incident on an Air India flight in which a drunk passenger urinated on an elderly female passenger in business class has made the airline review some of its existing policies. It has been reported that the accused passenger, identified as 34-year-old Shankar Mishra, was heavily drunk on the flight.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
Air India’s CEO Campbell Wilson said that several of the airline’s policies are under review and issued a statement that said,
“Internal investigations into whether there were lapses by other staff are ongoing on aspects including the service of alcohol on flight, incident handling, complaint registration on board and grievance handling.”
As pointed out by a Hindustan Times report, Air India’s alcohol-serving guidelines state that passengers can only be served two alcoholic beverages on flights less than four hours, and for longer flights, additional drinks can be offered for every extra hour. It also mentions that “the crew should exercise their discretion in the continuous service of liquor to these passengers.”
Pilot and cabin crew de-rostered
In a written statement, the aggrieved passenger described her disappointment in how the flight crew managed the situation, including not providing another seat to her. Following this, the airline has issued show-cause notices to a pilot and four cabin crew and de-rostered them until further investigation.
Photo: Eliyahu Yosef Parypa | Shutterstock
Wilson has acknowledged that Air India could have handled the situation better, both in the air and on the ground. He also said that the airline is in the process of updating its paper-based incident reporting processes and wants to acquire a license for the market-leading provider of incident management software, Coruson. He added,
“In addition to this state-of-the-art software, the airline is also in the process of deploying iPads to Pilots and Senior Cabin Crew. When used together, crew will be able to enter voyage and incident reports electronically, which will then be rapidly and automatically routed to relevant parties including, as required, the Regulator.”
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
Accused passenger arrested
Meanwhile, the accused passenger, Shankar Mishra, was arrested by the police in Bengaluru and brought to New Delhi, where he was sent to 14-day judicial custody. A resident of Mumbai, Mishra could not be arrested immediately as his whereabouts were not initially known after the incident came to light.
With the case receiving widespread coverage, Mishra, who was the India Vice President of Wells Fargo, was sacked from his position after the company found allegations against him deeply disturbing.
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Air India
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- AI/AIC
- Airline Type:
- Full Service Carrier
- Hub(s):
- Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport
- Year Founded:
- 1946
- Alliance:
- Star Alliance
- CEO:
- Campbell Wilson
- Country:
- India
