Delhi man who hit IndiGo pilot over delay was headed for honeymoon in Goa

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon — a day that saw thick fog and smog push visibility at the airport to zero from 5am to 10am, delaying over 400 flights

A 12-hour delay, a late start to a honeymoon, and, likely, a rush of blood to the head — these were the ingredients of an unprecedented, and unforgivable attack by a passenger on a co-pilot announcing a delay.

A still from the video in which Sahil Kataria (in yellow) strikes the co-pilot. (HT)

Sahil Kataria, 28, the passenger in question was arrested late on Monday afternoon but managed to secure bail. Thus far, he has not been placed on any no-fly list, although some experts believe he should be permanently barred from flying.

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon — a day that saw thick fog and smog push visibility at the airport to zero from 5am to 10am, delaying over 400 flights. The Katarias were on an IndiGo flight originally scheduled to take off at 7.40am.Around 3pm, co-pilot Anup Kumar was making the announcement when he was assaulted by Kataria.

The flight subsequently took off at 6.30pm.

IndiGo in a statement on X said that Kataria was declared unruly and handed over to law enforcement agencies as per protocol. “This incident is being referred to the independent internal committee for appropriate action and inclusion of the customer on the ‘no-fly list’ as laid down in regulatory guidelines. The safety and security of our customers and crew are of paramount importance, and we maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards any such unacceptable behaviour,” the airline said.

Police officers say the Katarias were on their way to Goa for their honeymoon. There was no comment from the aviation regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on the incident, and it was not immediately clear whether Kataria had been put on the no-fly list.

According to police, Kataria is a resident of Amar Colony in south Delhi and runs a toy shop. “He said he lost his cool because of the delay,” an officer said, on condition of anonymity.

A video of the incident that emerged on social media purportedly shows Kataria, wearing a yellow jacket, charging at the co-pilot, saying “Chalana hai to chala, nahi to mat chala, khol de (If you want to fly the plane, do so; otherwise, open the aircraft door). Kataria then hits the pilot, even as a woman crew member cries out in alarm, and another passenger pulls him back.

In a second video, Kataria and his wife are seen being walked off the aircraft, with Kataria apologising with folded hands to the co-pilot who cannot be seen in the frame.

Deputy commissioner of police (IGI airport) Devesh Kumar Mahla (who took over as the DCP New Delhi on Monday afternoon), said Kataria had been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 323 (causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 290 (committing public nuisance), and sections of the Aircraft Rules. He was arrested on Monday, and later got bail, Mahla said.

Goa and the honeymoon will have to wait.