Pee-Gate Scandal: Airlines Fined 30 Lakhs, Pilot's Licence Suspended For 3 Months

Here is the latest update on the grounds of the recent Air India urination incident of a male passenger urinating on an elderly woman passenger on a flight from New York to Delhi. On Friday (20th January) the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) pressed a fine of Rs. 30 lakhs on the airlines along with the license suspension of the pilot-in-charge of the airways.

The DGCA has also fined the Director of in-flight services with a penalty of Rs. 3 lakhs for "failing to discharge her duties". According to an official statement, the DGCA said the financial penalty of Rs. 30 lakh has been imposed on Air India and Director-in-flight services "for violation of applicable Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs)" while the Pilot-in-Command saw his license suspended for three months for "failing to discharge his duties" as per the Aircraft Rules, 1937 and applicable CARs. Reacting to this action taken by the DGCA, Air India said “We acknowledge gaps in our reporting, and we’re taking steps to address them.”

On the other hand, Air India in a recent official statement claimed that “We're also strengthening our crews' awareness of and compliance with policies on the handling of incidents involving unruly passengers.”

Soon after the incident came to limelight on January 4, after two days i.e on January 6, the DGCA asked through a show-cause notice to vindicate on the part of the employees associated with the airlines:  the Accountable Manager of Air India, the Director of in-flight Services of Air India, and all the pilots and cabin crew members of that flight. They were given a stipulated time of two weeks as to why they should be exculpated for not adhering to the laws and regulations on-board. This is the first time that such an action has been taken by the DGCA on an airline for unruly passenger behaviour.

Air India Urination Incident

While the passenger named Shankar Mishra has already vindicated his part of the story claiming that the woman has peed on her own self. However, the woman obliterated such claims. She labelled such claims as completely false and concocted, disparaging and derogatory. Fortunately, the airlines imposed a four-month ban on the male passenger by ceasing his travel plans for the next four months.

On 26th November, the two involved passengers were travelling together on Air India flight 120 from New York City to Delhi in business class. The intoxicated male passenger allegedly urinated on the elderly woman aged 70 years sitting next to him. At first, there had been no action taken against the male passenger for his unruly behaviour. Even after several complaints by the elderly woman, no action was taken.

However, it was later that Shankar Mishra was arrested by the Delhi Police from Bengaluru. Apparently, he is in police custody. His lawyer claimed in court that the elderly woman was slapping a false claim on Mishra. This is not one incident of its kind, but there have been other outrageous incidents that have transpired on-board in the past.

Suggested Reading: Air India Urinating Case: A Story Of Men And Their Many Entitlements