JAMMU TO MUMBAI

Fight on the flight! Two flyers trade blows mid-air

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Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

10.01.2022

New Delhi: On numerous flights you might have hated the passenger just in front or right behind in economy class for reasons like a seat getting reclined when you’re having a meal or tapping of seat by knees. This usually leads to a heated argument or complaint to the crew. But an IndiGo Jammu-Mumbai flight on the penultimate day of last year saw two passengers — seated on 3A and 4A — getting into fisticuffs over some issue.

“These two passengers on 6E-356 of December 30, 2021, got into a heated argument. The cabin crew unsuccessfully tried to diffuse the situation. The passenger on 3A pushed the co-passenger on 4A and things went out of control. They soon started fighting and hitting each oth- er,” said people in the know.

The crew then informed the pilot-in-command and the seat of 4A passenger was shifted to 12C. Seated safely apart, the two did not fight till the aircraft reached Mumbai and were handed over to security agencies on arrival. It could not be ascertained why the two got into a fight. An IndiGo spokesperson said: “Flight 6E-356 from Jammu to Mumbai witnessed a physical altercation between two passengers onboard. The flight crew intervened by separating them and providing first aid to both for minor injuries. Both passengers were cooperating and disciplined after the settlement. The matter is under investigation. ” It remains to be seen if IndiGo begins action under unruly passenger rules on these two.

Under these rules they can be barred from flying for some time. The first level of disruptive behaviour includes physical gestures and verbal harassment. The next level has “physically abusive behaviour” and the highest grade is for “life-threatening behaviour and attempted or actual breach of cockpit”.

A passenger charged under the first level can be grounded for up to three months; up to six months under the second level and for third level, grounding can be upwards of two years with no maximum limit (meaning up to a lifetime). For repeat offenders in the same level, the period of grounding can be doubled.