Urination row: DGCA slaps Rs 30L penalty on AI, suspends pilot's license

NEW DELHI: Taking note of the Air India urination case, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has imposed a financial penalty of Rs 30 lakh on the airline, DGCA officials said on Friday.

The aviation regulator also has suspended the license of the Pilot-In-Command of the flight for the period of three months.

According to the DGCA's notification, the license of the Pilot-In-Command has been suspended for a period of three months for failing to discharge his duties as per Rule 141 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and applicable DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements.

"Financial Penalty of Rs 30,00,000 (Rupees Thirty Lakh only) has been imposed to M/s Air India for violation of applicable DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements," it further said.

The Director-in-flight services of Air India have also been slapped with a financial penalty worth Rs 30 lakh for failing to discharge her duties as per applicable DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements.

"DGCA issued Show Cause notices to the Accountable Manager of M/s Air India, the Director of in-flight Services of M/s Air India, and all the pilots and cabin crew members of that flight as to why enforcement action should not be taken against them for dereliction of their regulatory obligations.

The written reply of M/s Air India and the personnel involved were examined," the DGCA said in the statement adding that these actions have been taken in the instant case according to the written response of the airline.

On November 26 last year, a man named Shankar Mishra allegedly urinated on a 70-year-old woman in an intoxicated condition in business class of an Air India flight.

Delhi Police had registered a First Information Report (FIR) against him on January 4 on a complaint given by the woman to Air India under sections 354, 509, and 510 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 23 of the Indian Aircraft Act.

Both the accused and the victim are from outside Delhi. US-based financial services company Wells Fargo also terminated its employee Shankar Mishra after the incident.

"Wells Fargo holds employees to the highest standards of professional and personal behaviour and we find these allegations deeply disturbing. This individual has been terminated from Wells Fargo.

We are cooperating with law enforcement and ask that any additional inquiries be directed to them," the company said in a statement. Air India also banned Shankar Mishra, accused of urinating on the elderly woman, from flying for four months.