IN HIS first remarks on the issue, N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons and Air India, said on Sunday that the airline’s response to the incident on its New York-Delhi flight on November 26, when a drunk man allegedly urinated on a woman co-passenger, should have been “much swifter”.
“The incident on Air India flight AI102 on November 26th, 2022, has been a matter of personal anguish to me and my colleagues at Air India. Air India’s response should have been much swifter. We fell short of addressing this situation the way it should have been,” Chandrasekaran said in a statement.
“The Tata Group and Air India stand by the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew with full conviction. We will review and repair every process to prevent or address any incidents of such unruly nature,” he said.
Chandrasekaran’s statement came a day after the airline CEO, Campbell Wilson, said on Saturday that the airline could have handled the situation better. He said four cabin crew and a pilot had been de-rostered, and the airline is reviewing its policy of serving alcohol on flights.
With questions being raised about the airline not immediately reporting the unruly passenger to law enforcement authorities, he advised staff to report all incidents irrespective of a settlement being reached.
Wilson’s statement had also hinted at reforming the process of reporting incidents. “Internal investigations into whether there were lapses by other staff are ongoing on aspects, including the service of alcohol on the flight, incident handling, complaint registration on board and grievance handling. As a responsible airline brand, we have initiated the following steps with a view to materially strengthen and improve how such incidents would be addressed in future,” he had said.
Earlier, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had termed Air India’s conduct as “unprofessional”, and issued showcause notices to the airline and its crew that operated the flight.
Air India filed a police complaint on December 28, over a month after the incident, and the police lodged an FIR on January 4. The accused passenger, Shankar Mishra, was arrested by the Delhi Police on Saturday.
