Prevent highly intoxicated travellers from boarding aircraft, install CCTV cameras: DCW tells DGCA

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Prevent highly intoxicated travellers from boarding the aircraft, limit alcohol intake, instal CCTV cameras and sensitise staff about sexual harassment are part of the detailed guidelines given by DCW to the aviation regulator amid rising incidents of unruly passengers on flights.

In a letter to the DGCA, the Delhi Commission for Women said it has observed increasing incidents of disruptive and unruly passengers on flights in recent months, adding such incidents are extremely unpleasant and traumatising for the passengers.

“Media has reported recent cases of harassment and misconduct by passengers in two flights, one on 26 November, 2022 in which a man reportedly flashed his private part and urinated on a 70-year-old woman in an Air India flight from New York to New Delhi and another on 6 December, 2022 in which a man again urinated on the seat of his fellow woman passenger on an Air India flight from Paris to New Delhi. It has been reported that both these men were in a highly inebriated state,” the panel said.

It said it has taken suo-moto cognizance of these incidents and issued a notice to DGCA, seeking details of the action taken by them in these mentioned incidents along with the guidelines issued by the body to airlines for tackling such cases.

“In response, the panel was provided a copy of certain guidelines by DGCA along with a copy of the advisory issued by DGCA dated 06/01/2023 to be followed by all airlines.

“Upon examining the guidelines and the advisory, the commission has observed that these do not provide specific instructions to airlines to properly handle, report, and redress cases of sexual harassment of female passengers at airport or on flights. Further, they don’t list out any steps to deal with highly intoxicated passengers,” it noted.

The commission has drafted detailed recommendations on the amendments that should be made to the prevalent guidelines so that cases of sexual harassment and unruly behaviour are dealt with strictly on flights and in airports.