“Sir, I am sorry,” said Sahil Kataria, a passenger on Delhi-Goa IndiGo flight, this time with his hands folded and a bit of fear on his face. He was made to deplane the flight after he set himself loose and hit a co-pilot of the flight who was making an announcement regarding a delay in the takeoff from Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The co-captain, who too was standing at tarmac when Sahil Kataria, donning yellow hoodie, was de-boarded, can be heard saying: “No sorry, you raised hands on me.”
The videos of Sahil Kataria assaulting the IndiGo flight 6E-2175 co-captain Anup Kumar and later apologising have gone viral on social media.
The incident took place on Sunday evening which was reportedly delayed for about 13 hours due to fog.
Angry over the extended delay, Sahil Kataria, who was sitting somewhere towards the end of the flight, walked up and leaped over a food trolley to hit Kumar who had replaced the previous crew as per Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.
FDTL are laid down by the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to ensure adequate rest timings for pilots and flight attendants and prevent fatigue-related safety issues.
Also Read: WATCH: Passenger on Goa-bound IndiGo flight punches pilot announcing delay at Delhi airport
Inside the aircraft, Sahil Kataria yelled at pilot and said, “Chalana hai chala, nahi chalana mat chala, khol gate (fly if you want to, otherwise open the gate).” He was soon dragged away by a co-flier.
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Soon after ground staff was informed about the incident and the passenger was whisked out of the plane after which he was handed over to the authorities.
He was then handed over to the police at the Delhi airport.
Indigo’s response to Delhi-Goa flight incident
A case under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 290 (punishment for creating public nuisance) of the IPC and section 22 of the Aircraft Rules has been registered against Sahil Kataria and investigation has been taken up, police said.
“On January 14, 2024, during the announcement of a flight delay by the first officer of flight 6E2175, a passenger assaulted the first officer. As per protocol, the passenger was declared unruly and handed over to the local law enforcement agencies for further action. The incident is being referred to the independent internal committee for appropriate action and inclusion of the passenger on the ‘no-fly list’ as laid down in regulatory guidelines,” IndiGo said.
The committee has 30 days to take a decision and specify how long the flyer can be kept from travelling.
As per rules laid down by the government in 2017 on unruly passengers, if an airline finds a passenger’s behaviour unruly, the pilot has to file a complaint, which is to be investigated by an internal panel.
With inputs from agencies
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Viral Video: Passenger, who hit Delhi-Goa IndiGo flight pilot, says ‘sorry sir’ with folded hands
