The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), which oversees aviation security in India, has taken strong note of a video that has gone viral on social media showing passengers fighting mid-flight on the Bangkok-Kolkata route.
The BCAS has requested a thorough report on the occurrence from the relevant authority.
The alleged footage from the Thai Smile Airways flight on December 27 shows two passengers fighting vehemently while the flight attendant tries to calm them down.
As the verbal spat quickly escalated into a full-blown physical assault, the attendant can be seen trying to defuse the situation by separating the passengers.
According to reports, the fight broke out over reclining a seat when the flight was taxiing to the runway for take-off.
#AirRage
— Saurabh Sinha (@27saurabhsinha) December 28, 2022
Video of a fight between pax that broke out on @ThaiSmileAirway flight
Reportedly on a Bangkok-India flight of Dec 27 pic.twitter.com/qyGJdaWXxC
It all began when the passenger disobeyed the directions given by the cabin crew that were intended to ensure passenger safety, setting off a chain of events.
The passenger was specifically instructed by the flight attendants to move his seat to an upright position, but he refused. It is usual practice on all aircraft to move the seat to an upright position during takeoff and landing. To guarantee the safety of the passengers, all air travellers on domestic flights are urged to adhere to the same rules. The passenger, however, declined to do so and gave a backache as an excuse.
According to the Indian news outlet NDTV, the crew tried to explain to the customer several times why he needed to move his seat, but he continued declining the request. The crew informed the passenger that if he continued to refuse to move his seat, they would have to alert the captain. The attempts were fruitless, though, because he persisted in refusing. Later, he got into a fight with another passenger on the flight, which turned violent and was captured on camera.
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