DGCA fines Air India Rs 10 lakh for not reporting unruly flyer behaviour on Paris-Delhi flight last month

NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has levied a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on Air India for not timely reporting two unruly passengers on a Paris-Delhi flight (AI-142) of December 6, 2022.
While an inebriated passenger was caught smoking in the lavatory and not following crew instructions on this flight, another flyer had allegedly relieved himself on a vacant seat and blanket of fellow female passenger when she had gone to the lav.
“DGCA (had) issued a show cause notice to the accountable manager of Air India as to why enforcement action should not be taken against them for dereliction of their regulatory obligations. AI submitted reply to the notice on Monday (Jan 23) and the same was examined. Enforcement action in the form of financial penalty of Rs 10 lakh has been imposed on AI for not reporting the incident to DGCA and delaying in referring the matter to its internal committee, which is a violation of applicable DGCA (rules),” the regulator said in a statement.

Last week, DGCA had taken three actions against AI for the alleged case of an inebriated flyer in business class of a a New York-Delhi flight on November 26, 2022, urinating on a female co-passenger.
The DGCA had imposed a financial penalty of Rs 30 lakh on AI; another penalty of Rs 3 lakh on AI’s director-in-flight services for this case and suspended the license of the the pilot-in-command of this flight for three months.