Now, handcuffs for unruly flyers in domestic Air India flights

NEW DELHI: With two cases of molestation in a fortnight by passengers, Air India has decided to keep restrainers like plastic handcuffs on all its flights to keep unruly flyers firmly seated in case their behaviour endangers the safety of the aircraft or other flyers.

"We used to carry restrainers only on our international flights but will now have them on both domestic and international flights. All our aircraft will have two pairs of restraining devices," AI chairman Ashwani Lohani told TOI. "The safety of passengers and aircraft is paramount. We will not compromise with that."

AI's decision comes after a flyer on its Muscat-Delhi flight allegedly molested an airhostess on January 2 and a flyer on its Mumbai-Newark flight reportedly groped a co-passenger on December 21. "Inflight misbehaviour is on the rise in recent times.

Our pilots adopt zero tolerance for offences like sexual harassment, both of airhostesses or flyers, and hand over offenders to law enforcing agencies on landing," said a senior official.

"Restraining a pax (passenger) is one of the last steps and should be done only if the matter is totally out of control," AI cabin crew manual says.