Passenger hits IndiGo pilot over flight delay; 'taking legal action,' says Delhi Police

Low-cost airline IndiGo on Monday filed a complaint with the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport authorities against a passenger on a Delhi-Goa flight who assaulted the captain of the aircraft while he was making an announcement regarding the delays.

The passenger, identified as Sahil Kataria, hit the pilot when he was announcing flight delays on Sunday at around 1 pm, news agency ANI reported citing government sources. The incident came to light when a video showing a passenger assaulting the captain of an IndiGo flight during an announcement on delays went viral on social media.

The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport authorities have said that they will take appropriate legal action in the case. The authorities further said that an investigation in the matter is currently underway.

"On the complaint of Co-Pilot Anup Kumar regarding one passenger, Sahil Kataria who assaulted and misbehaved with his co-pilot inside the flight from Delhi to Goa, a case has been registered under section 323/341/290 of IPC and 22 aircraft rules. An investigation is underway," IGI Airport DCP said.

In this video, the passenger wearing a yellow hoodie runs towards the captain and slaps him. A flight attendant intervenes in order to diffuse the situation while another man wearing a blue hoodie pulls the passenger away. The flight attendant can be seen saying, "Sir, you cannot do this."

Some passengers also justified their fellow passenger's actions and blamed IndiGo for the delays. The captain replaced the previous crew due to the flight duty time limitations (FDTL) regulations after a significant delay. The captain reportedly announced that the flight was delayed by "13 hours".

FDTL regulations ensure adequate rest periods for flight crew to reduce fatigue and are overseen by the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The video left the Internet divided as some sympathised with the passenger's frustration while others demanded consequences for the passenger's actions.

"What does the pilot or the 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," an angry user wrote on X.

Yet another user said: "He absolutely needs to be booked for assault and put on a no fly list for a couple of years. But this incident also draws attention to the serious shortcomings of this particular airline, that simply now cannot be ignored by the regulator, and the government. The top management doesn't seem inclined to take any corrective actions on its own, and must be taken to task."

"Both airlines and passenger are at fault here. X is full of complaints against IndiGo where they are not communicating the delay and status correctly with passengers, taking them for a ride. On the other hand, no amount of frustration gives anyone a right to physically assault someone. That's criminal," a user said.