Man hits IndiGo pilot: What happened on the plane? Will he be put on no-fly list?

There are countless incidents of flyers behaving in an unruly manner on planes — there’s the time when a passenger has urinated on a fellow flyer and there’s also the incident of a passenger fighting with the stewardess. However, on Sunday ‘slapgate’ emerged on board an Indigo plane bound for Goa from Delhi when a passenger physically assaulted the aircraft’s pilot while he was making an announcement regarding delays. The video of the incident has gone viral since then, with the pilot himself filing a case against his attacker and the airline also mulling action against him. We take a closer look at what happened on Sunday and now what future awaits the passenger who turned violent against the pilot. How slapgate unfolded on Sunday? On Sunday, Delhi witnessed huge travel chaos on account of the severe fog; at least 150 flights were delayed or cancelled owing to poor visibility. One of the flights which faced a delay was IndiGo flight (6E-2175) from Delhi to Goa. And it is amid this delay that a flyer attacked the pilot , slapping him while he was making an announcement on the flight’s delay. On Sunday around 7 pm, the passenger, identified as Sahil Kataria, was seen on camera rushing from the last row and then hitting Anup Kumar, the flight’s co-captain, who had replaced the previous crew due to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms after several hours of delay.

Kataria (dressed in a yellow hoodie) at the time of the incident can be heard on the video saying, “Chalana hai chala, nahi chalana mat chala, khol gate.” Immediately after the attack, another passenger pulls Kataria away, while the IndiGo crew can be heard saying, “You can’t do this.” Later, the flight took off from Delhi at 6 pm after a delay of more than 12 hours, according to flight tracking website flightradar24. What happened after the attack? Soon after the incident, Kataria was seen being taken off the plane and handed over to the authorities. A second video has now emerged showing Kataria apologising to the IndiGo staff. “Sir, I am sorry,” he is heard telling the person filming him. “No sorry, you raised hands on me,” replies the captain (not seen in the video).

The IndiGo crew declared Kataria unruly and handed him over to the local law enforcement agencies for further action as per protocol. The Delhi Police has arrested him, reported news agency PTI. “On the complaint of co-pilot Anup Kumar regarding one passenger, Sahil Kataria who assaulted and misbehaved with his co-pilot inside the flight from Delhi to Goa, a case has been registered under section 323/341/290 of IPC and 22 aircraft rules. An investigation is underway,” IGI Airport DCP said. The Delhi Police have registered the complaint and Kataria has been charged under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 290 (punishment for creating public nuisance) of the IPC and section 22 of the Aircraft Rules. [caption id=“attachment_13616012” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The passenger has been identified as Sahil Kataria and the Delhi Police has filed a case against him under relevant sections of the IPC. Image Courtesy: X[/caption] Moreover, IndiGo Airlines has, reportedly, formed an internal committee to address the matter. There are also reports that Kataria will be put on the No-Fly list. In a statement, IndiGo said, “On 14 January 2024, during the announcement of a flight delay by the first officer of flight 6E2175, a passenger assaulted the first officer. As per protocol, the passenger was declared unruly and handed over to the local law enforcement agencies for further action. The incident is being referred to the independent internal committee for appropriate action and inclusion of the passenger on the ‘no-fly list’ as laid down in regulatory guidelines.” People on social media have also reacted to the incident, with some condemning the assault. One of them was Paytm’s CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma. He wrote on X, wrote, “Road rage is coming to aircraft. I am sure, we all understand crew is guided by ATC and doesn’t delay a flight on their own. This is completely unacceptable!” “We must respect and honour who standby and give us services in any hour and weather,” he added while commenting on the incident. Others also echoed similar statements, saying it wasn’t IndiGo’s fault for the delay. What rights do passengers have in case of delays? While passengers can certainly not get physical with the airline staff over delays, they do have some rights when the flight is delayed or cancelled, as laid down by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). According to the DGCA, if a flight is delayed for any reason, the airline has to provide passengers with a free meal and refreshments. In case, the delay is of more than six hours, the airline is mandated to communicate the rescheduled time 24 hours before the departure time. Passengers can ask for an option of either an alternative flight or even a full refund of the ticket. Also read: Urinating on planes, starting brawls: Are Indian flyers suffering from air rage? As per DGCA rules, the airlines are also mandated to provide passengers with free accommodation if the delay is of more than 24 hours. This is also applicable for flights, which are delayed for more than six hours departing between 8 pm and 3 am. For instance, if you have a flight scheduled at 8.30 pm and it is pushed back by more than six hours, you are entitled to free room stay. [caption id=“attachment_13616072” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Vehicles ply on road amid low visibility during fog in New Delhi. Flight schedules were severely affected due to the fog, leading to cancellations and delays of over 100 flights. PTI[/caption] However, there’s a slight loophole. Airlines are exempt from these rules and compensation to passengers if the delay is caused due to Air Traffic Control, natural disasters or political issues. On Sunday, dense fog disrupted flight operations with the IGI Airport witnessing several delays and cancellations. The situation was so severe that Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also stepped in, saying that steps were being taken “to mitigate the situation in the near future.” He also warned that unruly behaviour by passengers is unacceptable and will be dealt with strongly. “Incidences of unruly behaviour amidst this are unacceptable, and will be dealt with strongly in line with the existing legal provisions,” Scindia said. With inputs from agencies