Taking cognisance of a viral video which shows two air passengers in a heated argument that eventually turns into a scuffle and fisticuffs, while the flight attendant looks on helplessly, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has sought a detailed report from the concerned authority. The ugly incident took place in Bangkok to Kolkata flight of Thai Smile Airways early this week.
In a viral video on social media, shows two men on a Thai Smile Airway flight arguing, while the air hostess is trying to mellow them down.
A few moments later, one of the men says “haath neeche rakh [put your hands down" and starts incessantly slapping and hitting the other on his face, turning it into a fight, alarming fellow passengers amid panic stroked air staff.. At one point, the flight attendant can be heard saying “just stop" on the microphone while other people gather around trying to come between them and stop the fight. A few other passengers also got involved in the scuffle.
The reason for the fight was not clear. According to report, the scuffle that turned physical on the Bangkok-India flight started after the passenger refused to follow the cabin crew’s safety instructions.
According to a passenger who was onboard the plane, the incident happened on December 26, just before the plane was taxiing to the runway for takeoff.
The plane landed at Kolkata early morning on Tuesday, the passenger, who was travelling with his mother, said. He said that he was worried about his mother who was sitting near the seat where the incident happened. According to the passenger, the reason for the scuffle was not clear. Later, other passengers and airhostess pacified the individuals involved in the scuffle, he added. It could not be immediately ascertained whether the incident was reported to the authorities in Kolkata after landing.
"BCAS has taken cognisance of the video. We have started inquiring and further action will be taken depending on the inquiry outcome," BCAS Director General Zulfiquar Hasan said on Thursday.
This is not the first time a fight has happened mid-air this month. In an IndiGo flight from Istanbul to Delhi a passenger got into a brawl with a flight attendant that involved yelling.
The heated exchange over choice of meals onboard the flight happened on December 16. IndiGo and DGCA, last week, said they were looking into the incident. Social media users were left aghast after a video of a physical altercation between passengers on a Bangkok-Kolkata Thai Smile Airways flight went viral. Users took to Twitter to say that these passengers should be put on a no-fly list. They also wondered how could anyone behave in such a manner on a flight.
A Twitter user named Sayan Dutta pointed out: “Hope they were arrested and passports confiscated. They should also be barred from domestic flights and sent to police remand for a few days with the same treatment being provided.”
A user tagged Thai Airways and other airlines like IndiGo, Tata-owned Vistara, and SpiceJet, and wrote: “What kind of behaviour is this… pathetic… all airlines should ban these customers from travelling and set an example!!”