Student alleges harassment by an off-duty pilot on Akasa Air Bengaluru-Pune flight
Winter Airlines Schedule Shows 8% Surge in Flight Deployments
By: Pune Pulse
October 17, 2023
Pune: A 20-year-old student has claimed that she was troubled and harassed by an off-duty pilot on an Akasa Air flight while going from Bengaluru to Pune recently.
As per information, the student claimed that the pilot constrained her to change seats to sit close to him and afterwards offered her a cocktail that he was consuming.
The horrific incident allegedly took place on October 1, when the student was resuming her journey after completing her three-month entry-level position in Bengaluru.
Reportedly, the off-duty pilot, who was carrying his airline ID card, first volunteered to help her with her luggage. After a while, he allegedly invited the girl to come to the backside of the plane with the help of a flight attendant.
The girl initially believed that there was an issue with the bags she had checked in. She went over and inquired about the situation.
The pilot who was not on duty began to giggle and extended an offer to her, saying it was a bottle of alcohol he was drinking. He kept trying to start a talk with her, but she declined and went back to her seat.
Akasa Air Spokesperson informed, “A passenger who travelled on Akasa Air QP1317 from Bengaluru to Pune on 1 October 2023 shared feedback on her interaction on board with a co-passenger (who was a member of our staff, not on duty at the time). As soon as we received the feedback, we immediately reached out to the passenger to assist and get more details to enable us to do a fair investigation. In spite of multiple attempts by our senior management to reach the passenger, we could not make contact initially. In the meanwhile, given our commitment to address passenger feedback, we investigated the matter internally on priority in line with our policies and our code of conduct. We have now been able to complete the conversations with the complainant and are committed to conclude the investigation in a fair manner and on priority. At Akasa Air, we follow a zero-tolerance policy towards our code of conduct and passengers’ safety, privacy and comfort are of utmost priority.”
Shreyas Vange
