"We will support a no-fly list," IndiGo President and Whole Time Director Aditya Ghosh told PTI.
"The MP turned violent, broke the duty manager's spectacles, tore his shirt and hit him with slippers several times," airline sources said.
“You’re our role model no… you’re our representative, you’re our democratic leader, we have elected you,” a female airline staffer is heard as saying to the MP, in the video, as reported by
Hindustan Times. The video was put out by news agency
ANI on Thursday night.
Watch: You can watch the video here
Gaikwad, carrying a business class ticket, insisted on taking the airline's early morning flight AI-852 from Pune to Delhi, which is an all-economy class. This led to an argument with the airline employees in Pune and an assault on the manager by the MP when the aircraft landed in Delhi.
"I dare the Delhi police to arrest me...I will not apologize, he (Air India manager) must come to me and apologize," Gaikwad told reporters on Friday, claiming that "a 60-year-old man must know how to behave" and suggesting that his party will stand by him.
Air India lodged a complaint with the police against the Shiv Sena MP for "assaulting" its duty manager at Delhi airport, an airline spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said that the airline has filed another complaint with the police against Gaikwad for allegedly delaying its flight by over 40 minutes by not vacating the aircraft for cleaning.
Police said the officer, Sukumar, has been sent for medical examination and based on its report a case will be registered.
Civil Aviation Minister, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, who is a TDP MP from Andhra Pradesh, condemned the incident saying that that such physical assaults will not be "encouraged".
