He swatted a flyboy.
Footage captured the wild moment when a passenger smacked a pilot after learning that the plane was delayed for 13 hours. A clip of the wild incident has amassed over 3.1 million views on X as commenters shamed the person for his behavior.
The smackdown occurred on Sunday after an IndiGo flight traveling from Delhi to Goa, in India, was delayed for 13 hours resulting from poor visibility brought on by dense fog sweeping the region, in keeping with Jam Press.
Pilot Anup Kumar announced the situation, which apparently didn’t sit well with one among the passengers, identified as Sahil Kataria, India Today reported.
Footage shows the incensed flyer — who’s wearing a yellow hoodie — charging up the aisle and smacking the pilot together with his open hand as onlookers cry out in shock.
“If you desire to fly, then fly the plane,” he yells at Kumar, who’s seen backing into the cockpit. “Otherwise open the door.”
At that time, a flight attendant gets between the 2, while Kataria is grabbed by a fellow passenger in a sky-blue hoodie and ushered back to his seat.
The aforementioned crew member then bursts into tears and lays into him, screaming: “That is flawed what you probably did. You can’t do that.”
A separate clip shows the passenger being escorted off the aircraft by armed guards, before apologizing to Kumar on camera.
Each the pilot and the airline have since filed police reports against Kataria, who was arrested by the Delhi police.
Viewers were quick to shame the traveler over the assault.
“Frustration doesn’t give a passenger the proper to physically assault a crew member,” declared one.
One other wrote, “This maniac needs to be placed on no-fly list atleast for 3 years.”
Nevertheless, others criticized IndiGo for its alleged gross incompetence preceding the incident. Many cited the indisputable fact that the pilot didn’t communicate the explanation for the delay, although they admitted this didn’t justify the attack.
“Each airlines and passenger are at fault here,” wrote one. “X is filled with complaints against Indigo where they should not communicating the delay and standing appropriately with passengers, taking them for a ride. However, no amount of frustration gives anyone a right to physically assault someone. That’s criminal.”
Indeed, the incident comes amid a torrent of complaints directed at IndiGo: On Saturday, Bollywood actress Radhika Apte claimed on Instagram that she and her fellow passengers were locked inside an IndiGo flight’s jet bridge on the Mumbai airport for several hours resulting from a crew change.
“I had a flight at 8:30. It’s 10:50 now and the flight has still not boarded,” she griped within the post. “BUT the flight said we were boarding and put all of the passengers within the aerobridge and LOCKED IT! The passengers with small babies, elderly people have been locked in for over an hour. The safety won’t open the doors. The staff has ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE!”
Apte added, ” I managed to escaped briefly to talk to the very silly staff woman outside who kept saying there isn’t any issue and no delay 🙂 now I’m locked inside AND they simply told us that we might be here till minimum 12pm all locked in. No water no loo. Thanks for the fun ride!!”
