Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued new guidelines for airlines and cabin crew for handling unruly passengers onboard.
DGCA has warned aviation operators that cases of disputes between passengers or with the crew might rise owing to the increased stress caused due to new procedures being carried out in the Covid-19 environment.
Cabin crew should be made aware of issues that may arise during the journey. These include passengers refusing to wear face masks or coverings, slower processes, disputes between travellers due to their ethnicity or country of residence or due to the presence of symptoms similar to those related with the virus.
The aviation regulatory body has asked operators to train cabin crew to ensure that passengers adhere to the safety protocols.
“The operators should define SOP for onboard handling of unruly passengers. They are advised to communicate their policy on handling unruly passengers as widely as possible including but not limited to publishing on their website, during ticket purchase and check-in procedures,” DGCA said in an official circular.