'Captain restrained the customer', says Vistara after 45-year-old woman assaults cabin crew onboard

A 45-year-old woman passenger Paola Perruccio from Italy was booked by Mumbai Police on Monday after she created a ruckus on a flight from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai. The woman allegedly insisted on sitting in business class despite holding an economy class ticket, assaulted the cabin crew when stopped, and took off some clothes and walked up and down aisle in a partially naked state.

"We confirm that there was an unruly passenger on Vistara flight UK 256 operating from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai on 30 January 2023. In view of the continued unruly conduct and violent behaviour, the captain issued a warning card and made a decision to restrain the customer," the airline said on Tuesday.

It further added that the pilot made regular announcements to assure the other customers onboard of their safety and security.

"In accordance with the guidelines and our stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs), the security agencies on-ground were informed to take immediate action upon arrival. The incident has been reported to the relevant authorities as per the SOPs. Vistara stands firm with its zero-tolerance policy against unruly behaviour that endangers the safety, security, and dignity of its customers and staff," Vistara added.

Mumbai Police filed a chargesheet in a case of misbehaving by an airline passenger, an Italian woman Paola Perruccio, midair on a Vistara Abu Dhabi to Mumbai flight, ANI reported. "She was arrested by Sahar Police after the landing of the plane yesterday. She was later given bail by the court," it added. 

Mid-flight incidents have been on a rise over the last few days.

In one such case, a man named Shankar Mishra urinated on a septuagenarian woman in a business class Air India flight from New York to Delhi. The accused was inebriated at the time of the incident on November 26, 2022.