Pee-gate: Cabin crew association rejects move to deroster flight crew

All India Cabin Crew Association (AICCA) on Monday demanded that Air India should roll back derostering of the crew that operated the New York-Delhi flight where a male passenger allegedly urinated on a female co-passenger last November.

“The AICCA has perused the DGCA press note on the Al-102 (26/11/22) and noted with deep regret the unusually harsh punishment on the Pilot-in-Command. The AICCA places on record that all the crew and pilots acted judiciously, within the law and in the best interests of the safety, security and well-being of all the passengers and crew on the flight,” it said in a statement.

According to the association, the facts of the case are still being looked into by the Delhi Police, court and DGCA and “we would not like to prejudge them”. “The association will be guided by its legal advisors in the matter. We demand that our derostered crew are now rostered back on flights,” it said. Last week, reports said that Air India’s top management was informed about the incident hours after the New York-Delhi flight landed in the national capital.

Also read: Pee-gate: Air India imposes 4-month flying ban on Shankar Mishra

“Our attention is also drawn to the press reports and extracts of the Internal Complaints Committee which are incredulous and flawed. There is no seat 9B on the Air India 777-300 ER and our (15) crew and (4) pilots did not personally appear before the ICC committee to depose before them either,” the association claimed. “That report, which has been submitted to DGCA, also respectfully, seems based on wrong facts and incorrect assumptions and hence a nullity,” it alleged.

Earlier this month, Air India issued show cause notices to the Pilot-in-Command and four crew members of the flight and derostered them pending investigation.
For various violations related to the urination incident onboard the flight on November 26, 2022, aviation regulator DGCA has imposed a financial penalty of Rs 30 lakh on Air India, Rs 3 lakh fine on the airlines director of inflight services and also suspended the pilot-in-commands licence for three months.

Against this backdrop, the All India Cabin Crew Association (AICCA) has demanded that the crew concerned should be rostered for duty again.

(With Agency inputs)