Any suggestion that unruly behavior on board flights is the exclusive preserve of Indians, or that some aspect of travelling on Air India unleashes the animal in its passengers, must be rejected quite simply because it is untrue. And yet it is a fact that at a time when Air India, under a new management, ought to be focused on reclaiming its position of eminence, the airline finds itself on the front pages for reasons that embarrass sensible Indians and cause discomfort to those availing its services. The recent incident where an Air India flight from Delhi to London had to return because a passenger became unruly and caused physical harm to two crew members is a case in point. Coming not very long after a mid-career executive chose to relieve himself on a co-passenger and brought shame to all Indians, this incident serves as a reminder of how perilous air travel can sometimes be.

The early morning service to London had been in the air for less than two hours when its pilot decided to return; in other words, consumption of alcohol could not possibly have been the reason for the passenger’s behavior. Anecdotal evidence, buttressed by some hard facts, suggests that postCovid airline travel has led to an increase in instances of such unruly behaviour, and not just in India. In 2021, America’s Federal Aviation Authority recorded a sharp rise in cases, which included several involving passengers who refused to wear face masks, but also of a woman who had to be tied with duct tape when she tried to open the door in mid-flight, and of a 22-year-old man who had to be similarly restrained after he tried to grope two air hostesses. In another instance, an eleven-year-old boy who started to punch his mother in the face had to be tied up and the pilot was forced to turn back to Hawaii.

Disruptions caused by such incidents severely inconvenience passengers who uncomplainingly suffer the other travails of travel. The return of the AI flight to Delhi would have thrown plans of all passengers out of gear, and while the miscreant was arrested, those travelling with him were also punished. One solution may be to mandate the deployment of sky marshals on all international flights and not a few as is the case now, to ensure that unruly passengers are professionally restrained until. Many countries including Singapore already deploy such personnel, and Indian authorities should consider expanding this measure, which was introduced on some flights after the hijack of an Indian aircraft to Kandahar. The other is to ensure that bad behaviour which causes tortious interference in the rights of other passengers is made accountable in both civil and criminal law. Putting a miscreant on a nofly list is by no means enough.