AI CMD urges cabin crew to inform directly to his office about passenger misbehaviour

After Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad hit an Air India staffer with his slipper, Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani on Thursday urged the cabin crew to directly inform his office about passenger misbehaviour cases on board.

"I want cabin crew to directly inform me and my office about any passenger misbehaviour cases on board," Lohani told ANI.

Meanwhile, Delhi Airport Manager, Harinder Singh told ANI that the staffer of the national carrier is agitated and hence they have blacklisted Gaikwad.

Earlier in the day, Gaikwad, wrote a letter to Civil Aviation Minsiter Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, while listing out the problems faced by him in the flight.

Gaikwad in his letter said that he was misled by the Air India and stated that he was given business class ticket, but later he came to know that there was no business class section in the flight.

"If there was no business class in the flight then why Air India is booking flight for it. I complaint about this in Delhi Airport, but the management started misbehaving with me and said that we have seen number of MPs like you and even threatened to complain to the Prime Minsiter," stated the letter sent by Gaikwad.

Gaikwad said that he even complained about the facility provided in the flight and added that it was not well maintained as there was no TV, towel or tissue paper.

While raising question on the timing of the flight, Gaikwad said these are reasons for the loss being witnessed by the national carrier at this time when all the other private flights are earning quite well.

Listing his problems, the Shiv Sena MP asked the Aviation Minsiter and the Speaker to probe the matter and to find the reason behind these issues highlighted by him.

On the other hand, Air India registered two FIRs against Gaikwad for hitting an Air India staffer with his slipper over sitting issue and for forcibly holding the flight and delaying it for 40 minutes.

A Deputy General Manager (DGM) of Air India has submitted the inquiry report corroborating the incident and is examining creation of no fly list of unruly passengers, said Air India spokesperson.

Earlier in the day, an adamant Gaikwad bragged about hitting an Air India staffer followed by a business class sitting issue.

"Yes, I had hit the staff. Do you expect me to hear their abuses quietly? What should have I done? He first misbehaved with me," Gaikwad told ANI.

The Air India staffer, who was hit by Gaikwad, said that the MP hit him and used bad words and humiliated him in front of the entire crew.

"When I told him what he (Gaikwad) is asking isn't possible, he became abusive and started using foul language. God save our country if this is the culture and behaviour of our MPs," the Air India staffer said.

Gaikwad was travelling from Pune to New Delhi when the scuffle broke out over the sitting arrangement.

The MP claimed that his ticket was for business class but Air India provided him economy class.