On January 15 2024, an irate passenger lunged at an airline crew and punched him in the face. This highly deplorable act had intended consequences, as well as unintended outcomes. As expected, the culprit was charged with relevant sections of the law; however, unexpectedly, this incident brought to light the instances of passenger suffering.
The flight in question was IndiGo flight 6E-2175 from Delhi to Goa, which had been delayed by several hours. The delay was so much that it necessitated a change of crew as the previous set of pilots had run out of their duty time limit. As the new co-pilot, Captain Anup Kumar came up to the front of the cabin to make passengers aware of the reasons for further delays, one of the passengers, Sahil Kataria couldn’t take it anymore. Kataria rushed forward and despite being blocked by the service cart, was able to land a punch on the surprised (and shocked) Captain. The cockpit was being blocked by a service trolley (as per the norms), however, the cockpit doors were still open (against the norms). Having delivered his message, Kataria walked back to his seat.
The crew acted swiftly and decisively. Security agencies were informed, a complaint was registered, and the culprit was removed from the aircraft and handed over to the police. Videos shared on social media showed Kataria saying sorry to the crew after disembarkation; however, this act of remorse was too little and too late.
By late evening Kataria had obtained bail and the two pilots stood suspended by the national regulator DGCA. Both outcomes were as per the laid down laws. Kataria had no prior history with law enforcement and the flight crew had failed to ensure a locked cockpit door.
Since the occurrence, the issue has been hotly debated and contested on mainstream media as well as social media. The initial messaging was universal in condemning Kataria, with some demanding his actions be determined as an act of terror. As hours rolled by harrowing tales of passenger exploitation started pouring in, including from the same flight. Apparently, the flight in question had been delayed by several hours and the passengers had spent considerable time inside the aircraft. Information from the airline was inadequate and infrequent. Social media was soon awash with similar stories, from other airlines of – passengers locked up inside aircraft, stuck in aerobridges, eating on the tarmac, and running helter-skelter in the terminal in search of accurate information on flight delays.
In Kataria, they found a messenger, who conveyed the collective frustration felt by thousands of passengers. However, most wished that he had not assaulted the crew in this manner.
The mighty bureaucratic machinery eventually kicked in. After the initial round of blame game, wherein the parcel was passed between airlines, airports, ATC and passengers themselves; they found an easy scapegoat- the weather (fog). Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia called the fog situation ‘unprecedented’ and exhorted the passengers to display patience, airlines to display empathy and airports to enhance efficiency.
All sorted – happy endings? Unfortunately – no.
This story will repeat itself every year (with slight variations and hopefully without the punch-line).
Calling the fog situation as ‘unprecedented’ is disingenuous. Fog is a recurring phenomenon which is very common in these months in these regions. Modern forecasting methods can predict fog with a very high degree of accuracy. DGCA works out a winter schedule every year that caters for weather disruptions. It is a very detailed plan that takes into consideration – crew training, passenger loads, runway infrastructure, landing aids, expected weather and so on.
Unfortunately, it falls short every year.
As the number of people taking to the skies increases, the woes continue to increase at the same rate.
There is a need to tackle this issue in a holistic manner. Here are some suggestions:
- During the winter months, especially on days fog is predicted, planned departures during the foggy hours must be kept to a bare minimum. It is better to not get a flight booking rather than to get one and be delayed by several hours. For the rest of the day, air traffic management efficiency must be greatly enhanced to accommodate more flights.
- In order not to cause disruptions due to FDTL exceedances, airlines must keep a spare set of crew available in the dispatch. Airlines must schedule crew that are qualified and competent in the most restrictive weather/visibility conditions.
- Boarding must commence only when the visibility has improved to the required parameter. The practice of boarding passengers in the hope of weather improvement must be discontinued. We might lose an operational hour or so in the bargain, however, the passenger experience would improve significantly.
- Passengers must be kept in the terminal building till such time the operational conditions become favourable for departure. The practice of locking up passengers in the aircraft/ buses/ aerobridges, expecting the weather to improve must be discouraged.
- In case of delays, airlines must provide free/ discounted snacks at the terminal.
- One of the major sources of angst is – uncertainty or lack of accurate information. Airlines must provide frequent information on flight status, including likely delays, crew availability, weather conditions, departure sequence and so on. Such information must be as frequent as practicable. AI-assisted chatbots, working on commonly used apps like WhatsApp, can be used to update passengers frequently.
- Airlines, airports and other agencies must provide a true and accurate picture, however unpleasant it may be.
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Some of these measures, like curtailing departures and making available additional crew, would increase the cost of operations. Airlines must resist the temptation to pass these additional expenses to the passengers. Where unavoidable, passengers must be willing to pay a little more.
Bottom line: two issues emerge, and they both need attention.
- One: Assault on a crew member is a highly deplorable act and the culprit must face the full weight of the law.
- Two: Airlines, Airports and Regulators must work to enable an environment wherein, a simple everyday citizen with no prior history of law-breaking is frustrated to a level that he/she ends up committing a serious offence.
The author is a former Indian Air Force officer with extensive experience as a leader, fighter pilot, instructor and administrator with international exposure. He is keenly interested in matters concerning national security and strategic affairs.
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