NEW DELHI: Air India (AI) has banned for 2 years a flyer who allegedly tried to open a door midair and assaulted two air hostesses who stopped him from doing so on a Delhi-London flight final month.
AI has requested DGCA to place Jaskirat Singh Padda (25) on its no-fly record, too, over the April 10 “life-threatening behaviour” that compelled the airplane to return to Delhi and the crew to make use of restraining gadgets to maintain him seated until then.
The Dreamliner had taken off at 6.35am that day with nearly 240 folks on board and returned over three hours later at 9.42am.
Jaskirat was handed over to Delhi police later and an FIR filed in opposition to him by AI. According to police, Jaskirat was not discovered inebriated, however his household claims he’s mentally unstable.
“Jaskirat’s unruly and disruptive behaviour had also endangered the safety of aircraft and persons on board AI 111… The internal committee is unanimously of the view that (he) does not deserve any lenient view. Hence, (he) is banned from flying/taking flights to/from/ within India for a period of two years,” an AI official stated.
According to police, Kapurthala-based Jaskirat has studied until Class 12 and his father is a farmer. He was travelling along with his mother and father to Canada to fulfill his sister. He was seated in financial system class Seat 20E.
According to AI’s grievance, Jaskirat allegedly tried to open the plane door (L2) an hour after take-off. The air hostesses tried to cease him from fidgeting with the door.
“…He threatened to hit (the air hostesses) and used unparliamentary language. After that, he became violent and hit her (one of the hostesses) on her neck very hard and she fell on the floor… he pulled her hair and then hit the other crew member on her face,” the airline’s grievance says.