The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued guidelines to airlines to control the situation if passengers misbehave on board and cause trouble. The DGCA has directed that if verbal communication and conciliatory approaches fail, misbehaving passengers can be tied up by camp crew members. DGCA’s directive comes in the context of the recent reports of two incidents in which a passenger urinated on the body of a fellow passenger on an Air India flight.
Some misbehavior has been noticed on the part of the passengers inside the plane. The pilot of the aircraft, including the camping crew members, failed to take appropriate action in the incident. The DGCA also pointed out that the lack of proper action in these incidents has tarnished the image of air travel.
Safety of passengers and discipline in the aircraft is the responsibility of the pilot. The DGCA guidelines state that even if the cabin crew members are able to control the misbehavior of the passengers, it is the responsibility of the pilot to immediately assess the situation and report the matter to the Airline Central Control for further action. The DGCA has also warned that strict action will be taken if the airlines do not comply with the instructions.
