Air India bans passenger for urinating on co-passenger during flight to Bangkok

In yet another case of mid-air misconduct, an Indian national has been banned from flying with Air India for one month after allegedly urinating on a fellow passenger during a flight from Delhi to Bangkok. The shocking incident occurred on April 9 aboard Air India’s AI-2336, during the descent phase of the journey.

According to internal airline documents and sources familiar with the matter, the accused passenger, identified as Tushar Masand, was seated in 2D when he urinated on Hiroshi Yoshizane, the managing director of Bridgestone India, who was seated in 1D. Masand reportedly apologised immediately after the incident, and the crew acted swiftly by relocating him to seat 14C and issuing a formal warning.

Air India confirmed the episode, calling it a case of “unruly passenger behaviour.” The airline’s spokesperson stated, “The crew followed all laid-down procedures and reported the matter to the authorities. The affected passenger was also offered assistance to file a grievance with authorities in Bangkok, which he declined.”

Yoshizane, the victim, chose not to file a formal complaint. In fact, according to airline officials, none of the business class passengers on the flight opted to raise a complaint against Masand. “Yoshizane remained composed throughout the incident. When offered the option to pursue the matter, he simply said he didn’t want to waste time after landing,” said one official.

The pilot in command informed ground staff immediately, and the matter is now under review. A senior official from the Ministry of Civil Aviation described the incident as “very unfortunate” and confirmed that it is being investigated in line with international aviation protocols.

Air India reiterated its commitment to following all SOPs as mandated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in such cases of passenger misconduct.