Enlarge image
Air India aircraft at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi (2021)
Photo: Manish Swarup / dpa
A man is said to have urinated on a fellow passenger on an Air India plane - now the airline has to pay a fine of three million rupees (more than 34,000 euros).
In addition, the flight's lead pilot will not be allowed to fly for three months, India's civil aviation authority said on Friday.
The case had caused many horrified reactions in the Indian media and on social networks.
Air India was accused of not acting quickly enough.
The airline acknowledged mistakes and pledged to address them.
Internal investigation at Air India
In late November, a drunk man reportedly urinated on an elderly woman during a business class flight from New York to Delhi.
A complaint was made to the police weeks later, local media reported.
The woman said that her clothes, shoes and luggage were soaked with urine.
The cabin crew gave her airline pajamas and socks, and as an alternative seat she was given a smaller crew seat instead of an empty first class seat.
The man's employer said he was fired because of the incident.
He was also later arrested by the police in Bengaluru.
Air India said at the time that there was an internal investigation, the affected cabin crew was not currently included in the roster and that the guidelines for alcohol sales on board were also being reviewed.
The woman was also refunded the ticket price.
Most recently, they gave the passenger a four-month flight ban.
Another similar incident occurred at Air India in December: On a flight from Paris to India, a passenger urinated on the blanket of a fellow passenger.
"These incidents could have been handled better," said Campbell Wilson, the airline's chief executive.
swe/dpa