Air India Express has a tradition of exhibiting artworks on the tails of its aircraft (Representative image)
Air India has said that it will help the pilot-in-command of Air India AI-102 flight appeal against the suspension handed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
The airline, in a statement, said that it deems the licence suspension of the commander excessive and will be assisting him with an appeal.
"In light of the mitigating circumstances and the financial detriment already incurred by the crew during their period of de-rostering, Air India deems the license suspension of the Commander excessive and will be assisting him with an appeal," Air India said.
On November 26, a passenger identified as Shankar Mishra allegedly urinated on a woman co-passenger on Air India's New York-Delhi AI-102 flight in a drunken state.
Air India in its statement said that as Mishra was peaceful and cooperative and claimed ignorance of the event, there was no risk to flight safety.
"He had not been served excessive alcohol by crew and did not appear intoxicated to the crew," Air India said.
The airline added that due to these circumstances and a resolution occurring between Mishra and the victim, the crew made a judgment call to record the matter as a non-reportable inflight incident rather than a (reportable) case of unruliness.
"It should also be noted that, in the absence of witnesses to the alleged act, crew were being asked to make a presumption of the accused’s guilt which runs contrary to natural justice and due process," Air India said.
The airline also said that its crew and ground staff have been issued warning letters to henceforth adhere strictly to Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) definition of “unruly” when reporting incidents onboard so that later investigation can assess the facts.
The cabin crew and ground staff have been counselled and have since returned to duty, the airline added.
The development comes a day after Air India's cabin crew union, All India Cabin Crew Association (AICCA), said that all crew members and pilots on board Air India's AI-102 flight acted "judiciously, within the law and in the best interest of safety, security and well-being of all passengers and crew on the flight".
The AICCA said that the staff on-board flight AI-102 filed detailed reports on the incident on landing to those concerned and acted as per instruction.
The union also pointed out that none of its members on board flight AI-102 appeared before the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the airline to depose before them.
They had also demanded that 15 of its members and four pilots be reinstated on flights.
Last week, the DGCA imposed a penalty of Rs 30 lakh on Air India after Mishra allegedly urinated on a woman co-passenger on Air India's New York-Delhi AI-102 flight in a drunken state on November 26.
As part of the penalty imposed by the DGCA over the incident, the pilot-in-command of Air India AI-102 flight which flew from New York-New Delhi was suspended for a period of three months.
"License Suspension of Pilot-In-Command of the said flight for a period of three months (03 months) for failing to discharge his duties as per Rule 141 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937 and applicable DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements," the DGCA had said in a statement on January 20.
A mail thread went public last week showing that Air India’s senior management, including its Chairman and Managing Director Campbell Wilson, were aware of the incident just hours after it occurred.
The mail threads seen by Moneycontrol include those sent to the head of inflight service department (IFSD), base operations in India, Lead Human Resource head of IFSD, head of northern region of IFSD and of complaints (customer care), on November 27 by the cabin crew supervisor.
Wilson himself also received an e-mail from the woman passenger’s son-in-law on the same evening, and forwarded the mail to the head of customer care, asking that it be attended to.
On January 4, media reports first highlighted the incident, causing outrage among the public at large, and prompting the DGCA, which did not know about it till then, to act.
At the time, the airline said the delay in reporting the matter to the DGCA was because the crew did not report it on time. “We have also constituted an internal committee to probe lapses on part of Air India’s crew and address the deficiencies that delayed quick redressal of the situation,” Air India said in a statement on January 4.
The airline on January 19 submitted its internal committee report with the DGCA and banned the accused Mishra for four months. Mishra was banned earlier for 30 days after news of the incident broke out earlier this month. The order has now been extended by a further four months.
Mishra was arrested on January 4 by the Delhi Police in the Air India urination case which came to light almost a month after it took place after the elderly women passenger complained to Air India.
The case between Mishra and the 72-year-old woman flying business class on Air India is pending in Delhi’s Patiala House Court.
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