In a viral video, a man in a yellow hoodie abruptly ran up from the last row of an Indigo flight and assaulted the flight’s co-captain, after the latter announced more delays due to fog at Delhi airport.
The pilot had replaced the previous crew due to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, even as the flight was delayed by twelve hours.
The incident took place on the IndiGo flight (6E-2175) from Delhi to Goa which was delayed due to fog by several hours.
The passenger was arrested and later released on bail.
The incident comes against the backdrop of significant disruptions at the Delhi airport, where as many as 110 flights experienced delays and 79 flights were cancelled today, according to the flight tracker website flightradar24.
The average delay reached 50 minutes, adding to the growing frustration of passengers.
A passenger punched an Indigo capt in the aircraft as he was making delay announcement. The guy ran up from the last row and punched the new Capt who replaced the previous crew who crossed FDTL. Unbelievable ! @DGCAIndia@MoCA_GoIpic.twitter.com/SkdlpWbaDd
— Capt_Ck (@Capt_Ck) January 14, 2024
FDT are regulations to ensure the well-being of pilots and flight attendants by mandating adequate rest periods and mitigating fatigue-related safety concerns. The responsibility for establishing FDTL falls under the jurisdiction of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
#ImportantAnnouncementpic.twitter.com/bA09EJTQfN
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) January 15, 2024
Soon after the incident, the passenger was escorted out of the plane and handed over to the authorities by the crew.
‘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,’wrote one user on X, reacting to the video.
‘This person should be booked for assault as well as put on a No Fly List. While @IndiGo6E is in the news for all the wrong reasons and must be taken to task for its shortcomings, but this is totally unacceptable passenger behaviour,’ wrote another.
Several flights arriving at and departing from the Delhi airport have been facing severe delays, over the last few weeks.
Some delays are exceeding seven or eight hours, due to adverse weather conditions, including dense fog in North India.
Major airlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Vistara have warned that ongoing bad weather conditions in Delhi and Kolkata could further impact flight schedules.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), dense to very dense fog conditions are likely to continue over north India during next 4-5 days.
Met officials said CAT III procedures were initiated at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, as visibility reduced to 50-100 m.
In a bizzare violation of aviation safety and security norms, at Mumbai airport where the flight was diverted, the passengers were allowed to use the apron as dining area as they disembarked from the plane to disperse to sit in the vicinity of the jet aircraft to have meals.
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