AI mulling no-fly list for unruly passengers after MP attacks staffer

“Air India is examining creation of no-fly list of unruly passenger on the lines of other carriers,” a senior airline official said. 

Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who was flying on an Air India flight from Pune to Delhi, hit airline’s duty manager Shivkumar with his slipper several times when the latter urged him to deplane after the lawmaker refused to do so once the plane landed at Delhi airport. 

“The MP turned violent, broke the duty manager’s spectacles, tore his shirt and hit him with slippers several times,” airline sources said. 

Gaikwad, carrying a business class ticket, insisted on taking the airline’s early morning flight AI852 from Pune to Delhi, which is an all-economy class. This led to an argument with the airline employees in Pune and an assault on the manager by the MP when the aircraft landed in Delhi. 

According to the global aviation body, International Air Transport Association (IATA), “unruly passengers” are one of the top three safety issues that concern cabin crew. As per the IATA, in 2015, there were 10,854 reported cases of unruly behaviour by the passengers across airlines worldwide, which translate into one incident for every 1,205 flights. 

Shiv Sena on Thursday sought an explanation from its Lok Sabha MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who allegedly hit an Air India staffer at IGI airport in Delhi with a slipper, and remained defiant over the incident. “The party has sought an explanation from Gaikwad over the incident. The Sena does not condone violence of any kind,” Harshal Pradhan, media adviser to Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, said.