Watch: Scuffle breaks out between passengers on Bangkok-Kolkata flight, Scindia says police will probe – The Indian Express

Kolkata News

UNION CIVIL Aviation Minister Jyotiradiyta Scindia said Thursday that a police complaint has been filed over a scuffle between passengers on a Thai Smile Airlines flight from Bangkok to Kolkata this week, saying “such behaviour is unacceptable”.

The scuffle ensued after a passenger refused to keep his seat in the upright position before takeoff, according to the “incident report” shared with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) by the airline.

Sources said Indian aviation agencies are not officially inquiring into the incident since it happened in Bangkok on a foreign registered aircraft, which was beyond their jurisdiction. But Scindia posted on Twitter: “With regard to the scuffle between passengers on board a @ThaiSmileAirway flight, a police complaint has been filed against those involved. Such behaviour is unacceptable.”

The incident came to light after a video clip emerged on social media, although the report shared with DGCA states that the flight crew made two other passengers delete videos they had taken at the time. None of the passengers involved in the scuffle were offloaded, the report states.

It is learnt that the incident led to a 14-minute delay in departure. According to the incident report, the confrontation was triggered by a passenger seated on seat 37C who refused to keep his seat upright while the aircraft was taxiing for takeoff despite several requests by cabin crew members.

“When the crew asked him to straighten his seat during takeoff and landing, the person on 37C said he has a backache. The crew tried explaining the seat must be in an upright position so as not to hinder the path of passengers seated behind him in case of an evacuation…or to ensure those (passengers seated in row 38) are able to take brace positions if needed in an emergency,” the report stated.

It said that the crew told the passenger “that in case he does not follow safety rules, they will report to the pilot.” “Ok, tell him. I am not scared,” the passenger responded, according to the report.

As an argument ensued between the passenger and the crew member, passengers on seats 38 A, B and C, and a few others, started objecting to the passenger’s behaviour, the report said.

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The clip that went viral on social media shows one passenger being confronted by a handful others, some of whom had moved forward from the back of the aircraft. The lone passenger is also seen being slapped repeatedly.

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In a statement, the airline said: “Thai Smile Airways feels sorry for this. We reaffirm that the incident has been taken care of as we followed the flight safety procedure in accordance with international standards.

Source: https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMigwFodHRwczovL2luZGlhbmV4cHJlc3MuY29tL2FydGljbGUvaW5kaWEvc2N1ZmZsZS1vbmJvYXJkLWJhbmdrb2stdG8ta29sa2F0YS1mbGlnaHQtYmNhcy1pbml0aWF0ZXMtcHJvYmUtYXMtdmlkZW8tZ29lcy12aXJhbC04MzUwMjczL9IBiAFodHRwczovL2luZGlhbmV4cHJlc3MuY29tL2FydGljbGUvaW5kaWEvc2N1ZmZsZS1vbmJvYXJkLWJhbmdrb2stdG8ta29sa2F0YS1mbGlnaHQtYmNhcy1pbml0aWF0ZXMtcHJvYmUtYXMtdmlkZW8tZ29lcy12aXJhbC04MzUwMjczL2xpdGUv?oc=5