Air India penalized Rs 30 lakh, pilot loses licence for 3 months

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has fined Air India Rs. 30 lakh for breaking rules in handling the rowdy customer after a man allegedly urinated over an elderly woman co-passenger on a trip from New York to Delhi. The regulator also suspended the pilot-in-command’s licence for three months and slapped a fine of 3 lakh on the airline’s director in-flight services. It’s the first such instance in India of an airline being fined for violating norms when dealing with a “disorderly” passenger. “The DGCA was made aware of a passenger misbehaviour event that happened on an Air India aircraft from New York to New Delhi on November 26, 2022, on January 4 when a male passenger allegedly discharged himself on a female passenger," said a statement issued by the DGCA.