Image from a video of the passenger being attacked and after he was taken off the plane.© Twitter
A video of a passenger slapping a pilot because of a flight delay has been going viral since Sunday evening. The video was shot on an IndiGo Delhi-Goa flight in which a frustrated passenger can be seen resorting to physical violence on board the Airbus A20N that was parked at the Indira Gandhi International Airport for over 10 hours. The incident was filmed by another passenger, who recorded the captain announcing another delay to the departure.
The angry passenger – identified as Sahil Kataria – ran towards Anup Kumar, the flight's co-captain, and attacked him by jumping over a trolley meant to create a barrier between Mr Kumar and the passengers to hit him at least once before being dragged away by a fellow passenger.
Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan, a member of the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy winning team, was unhappy with the unruly behavior of the passenger.
“I just saw a video of a passenger hitting a commercial airliner pilot. Guys, please try to understand that we all get frustrated with delayed flights, but this approach is strictly NO NO! As a regular traveler, I was also involved in the delays “The address must be designed so that everyone feels comfortable. Additionally, there are certain weather-related delays for passenger safety that all of us travelers need to understand. Avoid raising your hands towards the flight crew or pilot. They serve us regularly. Respect them,” Irfan Pathan wrote in a post on X.
The disturbing video of the attack, shared widely online, also shows the IndiGo crew rushing to Mr. Kumar's aid and members of the cabin crew hysterically protesting to Mr. Kataria, telling him (in Hindi): “You can't do this do…”you can't do that!”. To which he replies: “Why can't I do that? Why can't I do that?”
Then Mr Kataria shouted: “Chalana hai to chala, nahi to khol gate… (If you want to fly, then fly… otherwise open the gate).” Another person can be heard saying: “We have been stuck here for hours .”
It is unclear how long the passengers were held on the plane.
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