Passenger-pilot fight. What could be the consequences of unruly passenger behavior?

The recent incident of a passenger attacking a pilot has divided the internet into two sections, wherein some support the passenger while others attempt to understand and sympathize with the pilot's situation. The incident is not new for the civil aviation industry, especially when it has seen frequent incidents of misconduct towards the pilot by the airline staff or passengers in the last decade.

The civil aviation industry has seen many such incidents where passengers lose their patience over minor dissatisfactions and demonstrate unruly behavior towards the aviation staff. 

However, the aviation industry is not left with the option of remaining silent to misconduct all the time.

The recent incident

On Sunday, a passenger traveling in an IndiGo flight assaulted a pilot. The incident took place when the pilot was making an announcement in which he informed that the flight would get delayed due to low visibility.

How is the airline responding to the passenger misconduct?

IndiGo Airlines has resorted to responding to the misbehavior with a set of strong actions. First, the airline has initiated the no-fly list in which the passenger's name has been added. 

The passenger is called to be "unruly" by IndiGo Airlines. It said that further action will be taken against the passenger guided by the CAR (Civil Aviation Requirements). The action will be guided by the requirements on "Handling of unruly passengers". The requirements are issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

A procedure has been laid down by the Civil Aviation Requirements that state the directions that the airlines need to abide by to deal with the behavior of the unruly passenger during the incident and after it.

The incident took place at the IGI Airport in Delhi. The aircraft at that point was not flying, and therefore, the passenger who was misconducted was handed over to the security of the airport.

The right way to act as an airline in such a case

In case of unruly behavior by a passenger, it is ideal for the airlines to first inform the concerned passengers of the fact that in situations of unruly behavior by the passengers, the misconducting passengers can get arrested.

Unruly behavior by the passengers could be of many types. For instance, consuming drugs or liquor leads to unruly behavior and smoking also comes in the ambit of unruly behavior. Additionally disobeying the instructions of the pilot and making use of abusive or threatening language against co-passengers or the crew can also be termed as unruly behavior. Not to miss, it is obvious to assume that any sort of physical abuse or physically threatening abuse is also considered as misconduct and unruly behavior. Additionally, putting the safety of the aircraft and the people on board at risk is also considered unruly behavior. Any behavior that intentionally interferes with the crew's discharge of duties is termed as unruly behavior.

In case a passenger does an act of unruly behavior while the aircraft is flying in the air, the pilot should assess if the behavior of the passenger could be managed by the cabin crew. It can then inform the central control of the airline on the ground.

Additionally, in case the central control of the airline is of the view that the unruly behavior of the passenger cannot be brought under control, the airline must land the aircraft as soon as possible at any available airport nearby.