New Delhi

IndiGo Airlines said that the passenger who allegedly slapped a fellow passenger mid-air on flight from Mumbai to Kolkata has been suspended from flying with the airline.

The airlines said in a statement that the decision has been taken in accordance with regulatory provisions, and the safety of passengers is the top priority.

"At IndiGo, the safety and well-being of our customers and crew remain our foremost priority. Following due diligence, the incident involving an unruly customer has been formally reported to the relevant authorities for necessary action. In line with our commitment to discourage such unruly behavior onboard flights, the individual has been suspended from flying on any IndiGo flights, in accordance with regulatory provisions," the statement said.

"We remain committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and comfortable environment for all onboard. Thank you for your continued trust," it added.

On Friday, in a shocking incident onboard IndiGo flight 6E138 from Mumbai to Kolkata, a passenger was allegedly assaulted mid-air by a fellow traveller while receiving assistance from the IndiGo crew.

Earlier, sources had told ANI, a passenger who appeared to be feeling unwell was being attended to by IndiGo cabin crew when another flyer suddenly slapped him without any apparent reason.

Sources had confirmed that IndiGo has termed the assailant's behaviour as "unruly" and that the individual was handed over to security upon arrival in Kolkata. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) took custody of the accused at the airport for further investigation.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation had in September 2017 unveiled rules to tackle on-board disruptive and unruly behaviour by passengers. The new rules allowed for the formation of a national, No Fly List of such unruly passengers. The concept of the No-Fly List is based on the concern for safety of passengers, crew and the aircraft, and not just on security threat.

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The DGCA had revised the relevant sections of the Civil Aviation Requirement ( CAR Section 3, Series M, Part Vl on "Handling of Unruly Passengers ) to bring in a deterrent for passengers who engage in unruly behaviour on board aircrafts. The revision was  been done in accordance with the provisions of Tokyo Convention 1963.