Footage captured the moment when a passenger slapped a pilot after learning that the plane was delayed for 13 hours.
The smackdown occurred on Sunday, Jan. 14, after an IndiGo flight traveling from Delhi to Goa, in India, was delayed for 13 hours due to poor visibility caused by dense fog sweeping the region, according to Jam Press.
Pilot Anup Kumar announced the situation, which apparently did not sit well with one of the passengers, identified as Sahil Kataria, India Today reported.
Footage shows the enraged flyer — who’s wearing a yellow hoodie — charging up the aisle and smacking the pilot with his open hand as onlookers cry out in shock.
The pilot
“If you want to fly, then fly the plane,” he yells at Kumar, who is seen backing into the cockpit. “Otherwise open the door.”
At that point, a flight attendant gets between the two, while Kataria is grabbed by a fellow passenger in a sky-blue hoodie and ushered back to his seat.
The flight attendant then bursts into tears and scolds the passenger, screaming: “This is wrong what you did. You cannot do this.”
A separate clip shows the passenger being escorted off the aircraft by armed guards, before apologizing to Kumar on camera.
The unruly passenger
Both the pilot and the airline have since filed police reports against Kataria, who was arrested by the Delhi police.
Viewers were quick to shame the traveler over the assault.
“Frustration doesn’t give a passenger the right to physically assault a crew member,” one said.
Another wrote, “This maniac should be put on no-fly list at least for 3 years.”
However, others criticized IndiGo for its alleged gross incompetence preceding the incident. Many cited the fact that the pilot did not communicate the reason for the delay, although they admitted this didn’t justify the attack.
“Both airlines and passenger are at fault here,” one wrote. “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.”
Watch the video below.
इंडिगो की फ्लाइट में बवाल
देरी होने पर यात्री ने कैप्टन को जड़ दिया थप्पड़
पायलट को मुक्का मारने वाला शख़्स गिरफ़्तार@JM_Scindia @IndiGo6E #SahilKataria #Indigo #FighterTrailer #NiwanTimes pic.twitter.com/HuPwSRfdcK
— NiwanTimes (@NiwanTimesInd) January 15, 2024
