Peegate: DGCA slaps Rs 30 lakh fine on Air India; suspends commander's license for 3 months

NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday slapped a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India for the drunk-urination incident onboard its flight from New

York to Delhi in which the airline violated its norms on handling unruly passenger behaviour onboard flights. The pilot-in-command's license has been suspended for a period of

three months. Inebriated passenger, Shankar Mishra had allegedly urinated on an elderly woman passenger seated in business class. After the flight landed, the passenger

walked away scot free. The pilots didn't inform the security personnel on ground, nor did the crew file a police complaint. The airline didn't inform DGCA about the

incident. READ ALSO: Peeing incident: Air India bans accused Shankar Mishra for 4 months “The incident of passenger misbehaviour which occurred on AI-102 flight of

November 26, 2022, from New York to New Delhi, came to the notice of DGCA on January 4, 2023, wherein a male passenger conducted himself in a disorderly manner and allegedly

relieved himself on a female passenger. DGCA issued show cause notices to the accountable manager of Air India; director in-flight services of AI, 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 Air India and the

personnel involved were examined,” DGCA said in a statement on Friday.