A man on board a Delhi-Goa IndiGo flight service, where a passenger assaulted the captain after hours-long delay, shared a first-hand account of the incident on Monday.

Taking to his X account, Sanal Vij said he “doesn’t support violence”, but IndiGo took advantage and “hid all their mismanagement and mistakes in lieu of what the passenger did”.

He said that flight 6E2175, which was scheduled to take off at 7:40 AM, departed at 05:35 PM after facing “multiple delays”.

“As a co-passenger, I feel compelled to share my first-hand account of the incident. Before I proceed, it’s crucial to clarify that I do not support violence. I intend to share my experience and shed light on the events,” he wrote.

“Boarding commenced around 12:20 PM (after a delay of 5 hours due to bad weather) with approximately 186 passengers, including infants, young children, and elderly individuals. Despite completing boarding by 12:40 PM (approx), the flight doors remained open till 2:50 PM, with ground staff attributing the delay to ATC (air traffic control) not clearing the flight because of the congestion,” Mr Vij said.

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He said the pilot announced at 1:30 PM that they were waiting for a crew member and the flight would depart shortly. It became evident that ground staff and crew provided “misinformation”, Mr Vij said.

He alleged that the crewmembers of the flight were “observed being unprofessional”, engaging in lengthy conversations with the ground staff. Mr Vij also claimed that “multiple requests” from elderly passengers for water were “ignored” as they were “busy in their conversations”.

“The delayed crew member arrived at 2:40 PM (approx), and the plane doors closed. However, the plane did not push back for some time, leading to passenger inquiries and a verbal altercation with crew members,” he said.

.@DGCAIndia @MoCA_GoI @JM_Scindia @IndiGo6E I don’t support violence, but the airline took advantage and hid all their mismanagement and mistakes in lieu of what the passenger did. Below is a first-hand account of the incident. #DelhiAirport #Indigoairlines #Indigo pic.twitter.com/tNQBKQKwSi

— Sanal vij (@sonalchinioti) January 15, 2024

“Around 3:20 PM, the assistant captain came out to address the passengers on the delay when the assault occurred: Violence is unacceptable, but what about Indigo’s mismanagement, unprofessionalism, and 185 passengers stranded without food for hours?,” Mr Vij said, adding that the food was provided to them after 4:00 PM.

ALSO READ | Video: Passengers Eat Food On Tarmac, Next To Plane, After 12-Hour Delay

“The incident raises questions about the handling of the situation by IndiGo. Shouldn’t authorities investigate the unprofessional conduct and ensure such mismanagement doesn’t recur?,” he wrote further.

Man arrested for hitting IndiGo flight captain

Sahil Kataria, who assaulted the flight captain, was arrested last evening and was released on bail shortly afterward.

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In the video filmed on the flight from Delhi to Goa on Sunday, the 28-year-old was seen charging at Anup Kumar, the flight’s co-captain, and hitting him.

“Chalana hai chala, nahi chalana mat chala, khol gate (fly if you want to, otherwise open the door),” he can be heard shouting at the pilot before being dragged away by another passenger.

IndiGo’s official statement

In an official statement, IndiGo said the passenger had been declared “unruly” and the airline was considering including him in the no-fly list.

“The incident is being referred to the independent internal committee for appropriate action and inclusion of the passenger on the ‘no-fly list’ as laid down in regulatory guidelines. The safety and security of our passengers and crew are of paramount importance, and we maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards any such unacceptable behaviour,” IndiGo said.

#ImportantAnnouncement pic.twitter.com/bA09EJTQfN

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) January 15, 2024

Hundreds of flights have been disrupted over the past few days because of fog in north India.

In new rules to tackle the airport chaos, the aviation ministry has asked airlines to cancel flights delayed beyond three hours.

Vikrant Massey’s recent film, 12th Fail,  directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, has achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success. Riding on the triumph of the film, Massey has now teamed up with producer Ekta R. Kapoor for an upcoming project.

The actor is set to headline Ekta Kapoor’s untitled political thriller, directed by Ranjan Chandel, known for helming the popular digital series Grahan. The film explores a shocking true story from the early 2000s that had a profound impact on the nation, reshaping the political landscape in India.

According to a report, Ekta Kapoor is enthusiastic about bringing this impactful story to the big screen. Despite numerous debates on the episode over the years, no one has dared to make a film on this subject. Ekta, known for taking risks, has decided to back this narrative and present it to the audience. Described as hard-hitting, the story offers ample scope for powerful performances. Vikrant Massey, Ekta Kapoor, and Ranjan have extensively discussed the project over the last few months and are gearing up to start filming in the coming months.

Produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Amul V. Mohan, and Anshul Mohan, the film’s script is written by Aseem Arora. The makers plan to make an official announcement soon, and director Ranjan has already commenced pre-production work, with acting workshops scheduled to begin shortly.

Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday announced a six-point action plan to combat fog-induced disruptions to domestic and international commercial flight operations, which have resulted in the delay or cancellation of hundreds of flights. In a post on X, Mr Scindia outlined new SOPs, or standard operating procedures, issued to airlines to “mitigate passenger inconvenience”

In addition to these, the Union Minister said the centre had daily reports from all six metro airports, as well as reports into implementation of Directorate General of Civil Aviation directives

“‘War rooms’ will be set up by airports and airline operators at all six metros to address any issues with regard to passenger inconvenience with immediacy,” he said, “Sufficient CISF (Central Industrial Security Force, which handles security at airports) manpower will be ensured round-the-clock.”

In view of the fog-induced disruptions, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on mitigating passenger inconvenience were issued yesterday to all the airlines.

1. In addition to these SOPs, we have sought incidence reporting thrice daily for all the 6 metro airports.

2.… https://t.co/346YXjxGdH

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) January 16, 2024

Mr Scindia also said Runway 29L at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport had been made CAT III operational, allowing it to handle take-offs and departures even during dense fog scenarios.

He said Runway 10/28 – also with CAT III status – would be made operational soon; the runway, the airport’s oldest runway was shut last year, after the G20 Summit was held in Delhi, for maintenance.

READ | “Bear With Us”: Minister J Scindia Assures Fliers Amid Airport Fog Chaos

On Monday too Mr Scindia had taken to X amid passenger fury as IndiGo and other airlines, including national carrier Air India, battled poor communications and schedule delays due to bad weather.

READ | IndiGo, Mumbai Airport Get Notice After Passengers Seen Eating On Tarmac

Pointing to “unprecedented fog” in Delhi on Sunday – that meant visibility “dropped to zero between 5 am to 9 am” – the Aviation Minister appealed for patience as his ministry takes addresses issues.

He said the decision to suspend flight ops at Delhi airport – over 100 services were either cancelled or delayed on Sunday and more than 150 on Monday – was taken “keeping passenger safety in mind”.

He had said then that SOPs “aimed at enhancing communication and passenger facilitation” would be issued to all airlines soon. “It is my earnest request to bear with us in this difficult period,” he said.

READ | Jyotiraditya Scindia Says “Unacceptable” After IndiGo Passenger Hits Pilot

Mr Scindia also slammed as “unacceptable” any example of violence on board planes. He was referring to shocking scenes on a Delhi-Goa IndiGo flight; a passenger assaulted the captain after his flight was delayed by over 10 hours. The passenger – Sahil Kataria – has been arrested and made bail.

READ | IndiGo Flight Passenger Reveals What Happened Before Man Slapped Pilot

IndiGo has said it is considering including Mr Kataria in the ‘no-fly list’.

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