Air India airlines on Wednesday banned for 30 days the man who allegedly peed at an elderly woman travelling in business class and exposed his private parts to her on a flight from New York to Delhi in November 2022.
The airlines, in an official statement, said that they have taken very serious note of the incident that has caused extreme distress to a passenger.
“Air India has taken a very serious note of the incident, where a passenger behaved in an unacceptable and undignified manner on the New York-Delhi flight that caused extreme distress to a fellow passenger. A police complaint has already been lodged in this case and Air India is committed to assisting the law enforcement agencies as well as regulatory authorities to ensure that justice is delivered to the aggrieved passenger,” the Air India spokesperson said adding that they have reported the matter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for further action.
As a first step, Air India has banned the passenger for 30 days, the maximum it is permitted to unilaterally do so, it said further.
The police said that the incident occurred on November 26 and the concerned airline (Air India) approached the police after a month and two days, i.e., on December 28.
Air India has lodged a police complaint regarding the incident that took place on November 26 when the flight was on its way from John F Kennedy international airport in New York to Delhi.
In her letter, the woman said that the appalling incident occurred shortly after the lunch was served and the lights were switched off, as she was getting ready to sleep. Within minutes, an inebriated male walked to her seat and unzipped his pants, relieved himself, and continued to expose his private parts until another passenger asked him to return to his seat.