Unruly man flies from Dubai to Delhi tied to seat for his mid-air ruckus

An unruly passenger flew all the way from Dubai to New Delhi tied to his seat as the crew aboard an Indigo flight, 6E-024, had to take the drastic step for his fellow passenger’s safety soon after take-off on Tuesday evening.

An unruly passenger flew all the way from Dubai to New Delhi tied to his seat as the crew aboard an Indigo flight, 6E-024, had to take the drastic step for his fellow passenger’s safety soon after take-off on Tuesday evening.

A passenger flying on an Indigo plane from Dubai to New Delhi was strapped to the seat after he started shouting, pushing and running along in the aisle. (HT Photo)

Sources said the man turned violent — started shouting, pushed passengers and ran along the aisle — when the plane took off from Dubai.

After the flight landed at 10:40 pm in New Delhi on Tuesday, he was escorted out with the help of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, who guard the airport. He was handed over to police later.

“He was not following safety instructions,” said a Delhi Police officer.

The reason behind his behaviour was not clear, whether he was mentally disturbed, or was under the influence of narcotics or alcohol.

A medical examination has been conducted, the police officer said. “Action will be taken after we receive the medical report. We will contact his family to know his medical history.”

A passenger can be restrained and isolated — as part of the crew’s standard operating procedure — if his behaviour poses a risk to fellow passengers and the aircraft.

“At IndiGo such unruly behaviour is not acceptable,” said a spokesperson of Indigo, a private airline.

In-flight bad conduct is happening more often these days and situations sometimes fly out of hand, despite the crew’s training to tackle such mid-air nuisance.

A day before the IndiGo incident, an Air India airhostess filed a complaint against a flier from Muscat.

“Passengers are rude and sometimes turn violent over minor things. We ask our staff to keep calm but there are guidelines to tie down a passenger if the situation goes out of hand,” an airline official said.