Aviation regulator DGCA on Wednesday issued new rules for airlines and their cabin crew members for handling unruly passengers on board, stating that increased stress on flyers due to new procedures in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to a rise in disputes between them and cabin crew members.
Cabin crew members must be made aware of the new issues that may arise like passengers refusing to wear face masks or coverings in flights, fighting among passengers due to their ethnicity or country of residence or due to the presence of symptoms similar to those associated with COVID-19, the DGCA noted in its circular.
“The operators (airlines) should define SOP (standard operating procedure) for on board handling of unruly passengers in COVID-19 environment,” said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
