Bengaluru, Apr 10: A passenger of a Bengaluru-bound IndiGo flight was on Monday deboarded at Lucknow after his complaints about mosquitoes onboard turned into an altercation with flight crew.
While the airline blamed the passenger, Dr Saurabh Rai, a Bengaluru-based cardiologist, for the incident, he claimed that the flight was full of mosquitoes and said that he was manhandled by the crew and was offloaded from the aircraft.
He said, "The Indigo flight from Lucknow to Bengaluru was full of mosquitoes, when I raised objection, I was manhandled by the crew and offloaded from the aircraft, I was even threatened."
“They (the crew members) called me a terrorist and said that I was a threat to other passengers,” Rai says in a video posted on social media.
Meanwhile, IndiGo released a statement saying that their primary concern is the safety and security of the passengers and the colleagues.
It said: "An IndiGo passenger, Saurabh Rai who was scheduled to fly this morning on 6E-541 from Lucknow to Bangalore, was offloaded on grounds of unruly behavior. Prior to take-off, Rai, expressed concerns regarding mosquitos on board. However, before the cabin crew on board could address his concerns, Rai aggressively expressed his annoyance and started to use threatening language."
"As the matter escalated after the closure of the aircraft doors, Rai attempted to instigate other passengers on board to damage the aircraft, and used words such as 'hijack'. Such actions are absolutely unacceptable, and there is zero tolerance for such threatening language on board an aircraft. Hence, keeping in mind applicable safety protocols, the crew apprised the pilot-in-command, who decided to offload Rai from the flight," the statement read.
The airline stated, "Customer satisfaction is core to our business. However, the safety and security of our passengers as well as colleagues is of primary concern. Therefore, any untoward conduct of this nature is of serious concern to us, and as a responsible corporate citizen we will take all necessary action to address this violation."
"Further, we would like to mention here that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has prohibited disinfectant fumigation in aircraft while passengers are onboard. This order is currently being challenged by IndiGo before the NGT and the same is pending for adjudication," they added.
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