Air India blundered in handling the situation: Tata Sons chairman

Terming it as a matter of “personal anguish”, Chandrasekaran, in a statement issued on Sunday, said: “Air India’s response should have been much quicker. We failed to address this situation the way it should have “

The statement follows a public outcry over the incident of a co-passenger, a woman in her 70s, urinating on Air India’s November 26 New York-Delhi flight. The passenger, identified as Shankar Mishra, a senior executive with American financial services firm Wells Fargo, has been sacked by his employer. Delhi Police also arrested Mishra from Bengaluru on Saturday and he has been sent to 14-day judicial custody.

“The Tata Group and Air India stand in full faith for the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew. We will review and overhaul every process to prevent or address any incidents of such uncontrolled nature, Chandrasekaran further said in the statement.

Air India Chief Executive and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said on Saturday that the full-service carrier received the complaint on November 17 and began correspondence with the affected passenger’s family on November 30. The airline filed a police report a month after the incident on 28 December at the request of the victim’s family.

An internal committee of Air India assessed the incident on 20 December and concluded that an interim travel ban of 30 days was sufficient for the incident.

Wilson said the airline will review its policy on in-flight alcohol service and better train crew to deal with unruly passengers and incidents, strengthen crew awareness and compliance with policies, and empower those affected. Will launch a comprehensive education program to equip ,

“Air India acknowledges that it could have handled these matters better, both in the air and on the ground, and remains committed to taking action,” Wilson said.