Passenger in India detained after slapping pilot over 13-hour flight delay
A passenger on Indian carrier IndiGo Airlines has been detained for slapping a pilot after a plane was delayed due to bad weather, Indian media reported.
The incident took place on Jan 14 at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, according to the Hindustan Times.
The plane, slated to fly from Delhi to Goa, faced a 13-hour delay as dense fog and cold enveloped large swathes of the northern part of India.
Over 100 flights were delayed in Delhi on Jan 14, but intermittent flight operations had resumed on Jan 15 morning.
A video posted by Instagram user @EvgeniaBelskaia on Jan 14 shows a pilot making an announcement when a passenger in a yellow hoodie storms towards him.
The passenger aggressively swings his arm and slaps the pilot, causing him to stagger backwards.
Two stewardesses rush to stop the passenger from attacking the pilot further, with one heard saying: “Sir, you cannot do this!”
Another passenger in a blue hoodie is seen stopping the aggressor, calming him and walking with him off frame.
The Indian Express reported that the passenger had been detained after IndiGo Airlines filed a complaint against him.
The police said investigations are ongoing, and the man may be punished for voluntarily causing hurt.
IndiGo Airlines has also formed an internal committee to address the incident and may consider adding the passenger on their “no-fly list”.
An Instagram user said: “The weather in Delhi is so bad with zero visibility. How (is) the pilot supposed to fly (and) endanger everyone’s lives? It is not in their hands.”
Another wrote: “People just want to reach the destination dead or alive. They don’t care.”
According to aviation website Flightradar24, at least 168 flights leaving Delhi were delayed and 56 flights were cancelled on Jan 15 morning.
Apart from flight services, at least 18 trains to Delhi from different parts of India were also delayed due to the dense fog.
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