In a disturbing incident, a passenger aboard an IndiGo Airlines flight assaulted the pilot while he was announcing the flight’s delay on Sunday. A video of the incident on the Delhi to Goa flight went viral on social media on Monday, in which an angry passenger in a yellow hoodie is seen running toward the pilot and slapping him.
While the air hostesses tried to keep the passenger away, he can be heard telling the pilot: “Nahi chalana toh mat chala, bol de (If you don’t want to fly the plane, then don’t)”. To this, one of the flight attendants said, “Sir aap aisa nahi kar sakte (sir, you cannot do this)”. As other passengers were shocked and agitated, a man in a blue hoodie can be seen trying to calm the man down at the end of the video.
The video was originally shared on an Instagram story by a user Evgenia Belskaia on Sunday night.
According to the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) DCP, the passenger has been detained after IndiGo Airlines filed a complaint against him. The DCP also assured to take appropriate legal action against the accused.
Meanwhile, IndiGo has formed an internal committee to address the incident, reported ANI citing airline officials. Reportedly, actions including the potential inclusion of passengers on the ‘no-fly list’ are under consideration.
The incident comes amid massive disruptions in flight operations across North and central India due to poor weather from dense fog conditions. On Sunday, the thick fog lasted for nearly 11 hours in the national capital, leaving thousands of passengers waiting for hours.
Netizens react to the video
Several users on X, formerly known as Twitter, called for action against the passenger, however, some also pointed out the passengers’ frustration due to the delays.
“Hope the pilot is okay. Cases of pilots getting assaulted are so rare. @DGCAIndia I want that passenger on No Fly List – Forever. Please make the No Fly List a real thing. Please,” one user wrote.
Another user wrote, “Just saw a video of an airline Captain assaulted by a passenger for delay while he was making announcement trying to reassure them. Really friends? Is this where we are heading when weather God plays havoc with our lives? Knowing how things work in an airline, that pilot (and many others) may have volunteered or pulled out from their off days or even from vacation to tide over flight disruptions and help take passengers home or wherever they’re going and this is what he gets in return from that unworthy passenger! Delays are painful for everyone including crew, be it ground, cabin or flight crew. The kind of foggy weather and associated operational problems we faced yesterday (and may happen again today, tomorrow or any day) were almost unprecedented. We need to be decent human beings first and this rowdy, violent behaviour is absolutely unacceptable. He is a flight hazard. Hope that passenger never flies again, ever. Shame!”
“What does the pilot or cabin crew have to do with the delay? They were just doing their job. Arrest this man, and put him on the no-fly list. Publish his picture so people are aware of his bad temper in public,” another X user wrote on the social media platform.
Meanwhile, one of the users said, “Both airlines and passenger are at fault here. X is full of complaints against Indigo where they are not communicating the delay and status correctly with passengers, taking them for a ride. On the other hand, no amount of frustration gives anyone a right to physically assault someone. That’s criminal.”
Bollywood actor Ranvir Shorey also reacted to the incident with a GIF that read, “Aa gaya swaad?” which translates to, “Got the taste of your own medicine?”.
One user responded to this saying, “Sorry, whatever the issue..physically assaulting an employee is not done. Indigo employees must me under a lot of pressure. This is mismanagement from the top management, not the employees in the middle or bottom.” However, Shorey said, “I completely agree. It’s just that at the moment I find it difficult to sympathise with IndiGo in anyway”.
