Passenger in India slaps pilot following 10-hour flight delay

He was meant to be on a flight from Delhi to Goa, but the only flying this passenger did was when he flew into a fit of rage.

Upset by a flight delay lasting several hours, a man on board an IndiGo flight on Sunday (Jan 14)  assaulted a pilot who was making an announcement regarding the delay.

Multiple flights scheduled to take off from Delhi airport on Sunday had been cancelled or delayed due to bad weather brought about by dense fog, reported Business Standard.

The flight eventually took off at around 5.30pm after a delay of almost 10 hours, according to flight tracking websites.

A video filmed by a fellow passenger shows the man, dressed in yellow, rushing through the plane aisle and slapping the pilot as shocked passengers and cabin crew watched on.

The crew members are seen shouting at the assailant, who can be heard saying that they had been sitting in the aircraft for a long time and should be allowed to deplane if it was not taking off.

Pilot and cabin crew 'not nice': Passenger

Russian model and actress Evgenia Belskia, who uploaded the video online, claimed that passengers on board the flight had been waiting for 10 hours prior to this incident, four of which were spent in the aircraft.

"One guy got fed up, and after this they had to wait three more hours!" she wrote.

Belskia added in the comments section that the incident occurred as the pilot and cabin crew were "not nice" to passengers, alleging that the pilot had blamed passengers for "asking too many questions".

According to India Today, she further alleged that the crew did not offer food and water to passengers during the long wait.

"He (the accused) was not a bad guy. I am not saying violence is right, but everyone was frustrated on the flight," she told news outlet India Today TV.

Man might be placed on 'no-fly list'

The passenger, identified as Sahil Katariya, was arrested and later released on bail, reported Indian news outlet NDTV.

In a statement on Monday, low-cost carrier IndiGo stated that Katariya was "declared unruly and handed over to local law enforcement agencies".

"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."

ALSO READ: Australian man removed from Scoot flight for slapping fellow passenger

lim.kewei@asiaone.com