Passenger Who Slapped IndiGo Pilot After 13-Hour Delay Arrested, Gets Bail

A passenger aboard an IndiGo flight physically assaulted the aircraft's pilot while he was making an announcement regarding delays. A video of the assault is now viral on social media.

The incident took place on the IndiGo flight (6E-2175) from Delhi to Goa which was delayed due to fog by several hours on Sunday. The passenger has been identified as Sahil Kataria. He was arrested and later released on bail.

In the viral video, a man in a yellow hoodie abruptly ran up from the last row and hit Anup Kumar, the flight's co-captain, who had replaced the previous crew due to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms after several hours of delay. 

FDT are regulations to ensure the well-being of pilots and flight attendants by mandating adequate rest periods and mitigating fatigue-related safety concerns. The responsibility for establishing FDTL falls under the jurisdiction of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Soon after the incident, the passenger was whisked out of the plane and handed over to the authorities. 

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"What does the pilot or cabin crew have to do with the delay? They were just doing their job. Arrest this man, and put him on the no-fly list. Publish his picture so people are aware of his bad temper in public," wrote one user on X, reacting to the video.

"This person should be booked for assault as well as put on a No Fly List. While @IndiGo6E is in the news for all the wrong reasons and must be taken to task for its shortcomings, but this is totally unacceptable passenger behaviour," wrote another.

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The incident comes against the backdrop of significant disruptions at the Delhi airport, where as many as 110 flights experienced delays and 79 flights were cancelled today, according to the flight tracker website flightradar24. The average delay reached 50 minutes, adding to the growing frustration of passengers already grappling with extensive flight disruptions.

Yesterday, several flights arriving at and departing from the Delhi airport faced severe delays, some exceeding seven or eight hours, primarily due to adverse weather conditions, including dense fog, in North India. Major airlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Vistara have warned that ongoing bad weather conditions in Delhi and Kolkata could further impact flight schedules.