American Airlines bans student for urinating on co-passenger aboard flight
American Airlines on Sunday (March 5) banned a 21-year-old student from flying with it in future after he allegedly urinated on a fellow male passenger in a drunken state aboard a New York-New Delhi flight on Saturday, sources have said. The accused, Arya Vohra, is a student at a US university.
According to sources, the incident occurred aboard flight number AA292, which took off from New York at 9.16 pm on Friday and landed after 14 hours and 26 minutes at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in New Delhi at 10.12 pm on Saturday.
“The accused is a student in a US university. He was in a state of inebriation and urinated while he was asleep. It somehow leaked and fell on a fellow passenger who complained to the crew,” said a source at the airport.
Also read: Peeing, teasing, drinking…the growing list of Indian passengers in flight scuffles
The source said the student apologised to the male victim and the latter didn’t want to escalate the matter further. The airline, however, took it seriously and reported it to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at the IGI airport. The crew informed the pilot, who reported the matter to the ATC, which further alerted the CISF personnel who handed over the accused passenger to the Delhi Police.
“Did not adhere to crew instructions”
“The airline’s own security team, along with the CISF, came into action after the incident came to light. The accused was immediately taken into custody once the flight landed. Police are recording the statements of the persons concerned,” another source at the airport informed PTI.
According to ANI, Vohra misbehaved with CISF personnel too. “We have received a complaint of urination on a co-passenger from American Airlines against one person Arya Vohra, who is a student in the USA and resident of Defence Colony, Delhi. We are taking necessary legal action,” a senior Delhi Police official told ANI.
Later Sunday, American Airlines stated that the passenger would not be allowed on board in the future. “Upon the aircraft’s arrival, the purser informed that the passenger was heavily intoxicated, and was not adhering to crew instructions on board. He was repeatedly arguing with the operating crew, was not willing to be seated and continuously endangering the safety of the crew and aircraft. After disturbing the safety of fellow passengers, (he) finally urinated on pax seated on 15G,” news agency ANI quoted American Airlines as saying.
Also read: Peeing case: Tata Group head finally reacts, admits AI was slow to respond
According to the Civil Aviation Rules, if a passenger is found guilty of unruly behaviour, besides action under criminal law, he will be banned from flying for a particular time period, depending on the level of the offence.
DGCA seeks report
Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also sought a detailed report from American Airlines. “We have received a report from the airline concerned. They seem to have handled the situation professionally and have taken all appropriate action,” a DGCA official told ANI.
Incidents of urination on fellow passengers and other disruptive behaviour have been reported on board flights since November. On November 26, a man named Shankar Mishra allegedly urinated on an elderly woman in a drunken state on a New York-Delhi Air India flight. The incident came to light almost a month later, after which an FIR was lodged and Mishra was arrested. He was released on bail after spending nearly a month in jail. The DGCA imposed a fine of ₹30 lakh on Air India for not reporting the matter within 12 hours of its occurrence in accordance with the norm. While the Delhi Police is investigating the matter, Mishra has been banned from flying for four months.
(With inputs from agencies)
