cyrilroy21
26th Oct 2013, 22:49
KOCHI: The Kerala high court has registered a suo motu case on an Air India pilot sounding a hijack alert when passengers protested over neglect by the crew after a flight was delayed for several hours and then diverted.
The incident took place on October 19 last year when an Air India Express flight bound for Kochi from Abu Dhabi was diverted to Thiruvananthapuram airport citing bad weather.
Upon landing at Thiruvananthapuram, the passengers (over 150) had declined to deboard the plane in protest against the flight diversion and neglect by the crew. Some of them had also allegedly tried to force their way into the cockpit.
A police case was registered after the pilot, Commander Rupali Waghmare, complained that a passenger even threatened that he would not hesitate to kill her if anything happened to his six-month-old child. Based on the pilot's complaint an FIR was registered against six passengers.
Passengers had said the flight's take-off itself was delayed for several hours and women and children had no access to food or water during the period. Though it was promised that the flight would continue to Kochi, the pilot and the crew left stating that their shift was over.
Considering a letter written by passengers to the high court about the hardships they faced during the journey, a division bench comprising Justices K T Sankaran and M L Joseph Francis directed the central and state governments to inform whether any person has been made an accused in the case and whether any penal action has been taken
Air India 'hijack': Court registers suo motu case - The Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Air-India-hijack-Court-registers-suo-motu-case/articleshow/24719001.cms)
The incident took place on October 19 last year when an Air India Express flight bound for Kochi from Abu Dhabi was diverted to Thiruvananthapuram airport citing bad weather.
Upon landing at Thiruvananthapuram, the passengers (over 150) had declined to deboard the plane in protest against the flight diversion and neglect by the crew. Some of them had also allegedly tried to force their way into the cockpit.
A police case was registered after the pilot, Commander Rupali Waghmare, complained that a passenger even threatened that he would not hesitate to kill her if anything happened to his six-month-old child. Based on the pilot's complaint an FIR was registered against six passengers.
Passengers had said the flight's take-off itself was delayed for several hours and women and children had no access to food or water during the period. Though it was promised that the flight would continue to Kochi, the pilot and the crew left stating that their shift was over.
Considering a letter written by passengers to the high court about the hardships they faced during the journey, a division bench comprising Justices K T Sankaran and M L Joseph Francis directed the central and state governments to inform whether any person has been made an accused in the case and whether any penal action has been taken
Air India 'hijack': Court registers suo motu case - The Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Air-India-hijack-Court-registers-suo-motu-case/articleshow/24719001.cms)