New Delhi: IndiGo on Saturday banned a passenger from flying on its flights after he slapped a co-traveller onboard a Mumbai-Kolkata flight.
The incident took place on flight 6E138 on Friday. After the plane landed in Kolkata, the passenger was handed over to security authorities at the airport and was declared unruly.
In a post on X on Saturday, IndiGo said it had reported the incident to the relevant authorities after a detailed review.
The airline said the ban was in line with its commitment to discourage unruly behaviour on board. However, it did not mention how long the ban would last.
“In line with our commitment to discourage such unruly behaviour onboard flights, the individual has been suspended from flying on any IndiGo flights, in accordance with regulatory provisions,” the carrier said.
A video of the incident, which circulated on social media on Friday, showed a passenger sitting in his seat suddenly slapping another man who was standing in the aisle. The man who was slapped began crying and was then moved to another seat.
In the video, a cabin crew member can be heard telling the seated passenger, “don’t do” while another passenger asked why he had slapped the man, saying he had no right to hit anyone. Someone else in the background was heard saying that the person who was slapped was having a panic attack.
Divisional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Airport Division) Aishwarya Sagar said the two were arrested under Section 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to prevent them from committing a serious offence, and under Section 120, which allows binding offenders to the court if they are likely to disturb peace.
Unruly behaviour on a flight can lead to a flying ban of three months to two years, depending on how serious the offence is.
