Air India finally acts: Show cause notices to crew and pilot in urination episode

Days after the news of a man urinating on a co-passenger on a Delhi bound Air India flight on November 26, 2022, came to light, the airline’s CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson on Saturday, January 7 said that four cabin crew staff and one pilot have been issued show cause notices and de-rostered till investigation is complete. 

“Air India is deeply concerned about the in-flight instances where customers have suffered due to the condemnable acts of their co-passengers on our aircraft. We regret and are pained about these experiences. Air India acknowledges that it could have handled these matters better, both in the air and on the ground and is committed to taking action,” said Wilson, in his statement.

The Air India CEO also said that 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. Campbell also added that some steps have been taken to “materially strengthen and improve” the ways in which such  incidents would be addressed in the future. This includes commencing a comprehensive education program to strengthen crews' awareness of and compliance with policies on the handling of incidents and unruly passengers, and to better equip crew to empathetically assist those affected; and review of the airline policy on service of alcohol in flight.

It was on November 26, 2022, on a Delhi bound Air India flight from New York, when Shankar Mishra, who was seated in the row ahead of the woman on the flight, walked towards her in a completely inebriated state and urinated on her, soiling her clothes, shoes, and bag containing documents including her passport. 

Following the woman’s complaint, 34-year-old Shankar was booked by the Delhi police under Sections 294 (obscene act in any public place), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 510 (misconduct in public by a drunken person) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The accused was arrested by the Delhi police from Bengaluru early on Saturday, January 7.