IndiGo passenger detained after attacking pilot over flight delay
In a video circulating on social media, a man is seen attacking a pilot. (Images: Instagram/evgeniabelskaia)
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An IndiGo flight passenger was detained by authorities on Sunday (Jan 14) after he attacked a pilot over a flight delay amid dense fog in Northern India.
In a video circulating on social media, a man in a yellow hoodie can be seen charging towards the pilot who has a mic in his hand.
The man then has an exchange of words with a flight attendant and the pilot before he is brought to the back by a fellow passenger.
"A customer assaulted our first officer during the announcement of a delay of flight 6E 2175," the airline said on X, formerly known as Twitter. The flight was from Delhi to Goa, according to local media reports.
The customer was "declared unruly and handed over to law enforcement agencies", IndiGo added in its post.
The incident is also being referred to an independent internal committee for "appropriate action and inclusion of the customer on the 'no-fly list'", the airline said on X.
It reiterated that the safety and security of its customers and crew were of paramount importance and it maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards any unacceptable behaviour.
The man was arrested and later released on bail, local media reported.
According to flight tracker site FlightStats, the IndiGo flight had been delayed by almost 10 hours. It was scheduled to depart Delhi at 7.40am local time. It only eventually departed after 5.30pm.
DENSE FOG AFFECTING OPERATIONS
"Large parts of India were faced by exceptional severe fog, which had a significant impact on the operation of airports and airlines alike," IndiGo said on X on Monday.
It added that the cancellations and delays impacted rotations throughout the day and led to further impacts on operations.
More than 100 flights were delayed in New Delhi on Sunday but intermittent flight operations had resumed on Monday morning, with passengers complaining of long flight delays.
According to aviation website Flightradar24, at least 168 flights leaving Delhi were delayed and 56 flights were cancelled on Monday morning.
India's Civil Aviation and Steel Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia issued a request on X to travellers to bear "with us during this difficult period".
"All stakeholders are trying their best to minimise passenger inconvenience.
"Incidences of unruly behaviour amidst this are unacceptable, and will be dealt with strongly in line with the existing legal provisions," he said.
India's weather office has predicted "very dense fog" on Tuesday, with a minimum temperature of 4 degrees Celsius.
