Thanjavur man held for smoking on flight, abusing air-hostess

He was identified as A Ismail, 33, a native of Thanjavur and the incident occurred on an Indigo flight.

Police sources said that Ismail, working in a private firm in Kuwait, had suddenly started smoking inside the aircraft though it is banned. “It seems he was in an inebriated state and started smoking. Though in India, passengers are not allowed to carry cigar lighters inside a flight, Ismail seems to have managed to smuggle it inside the aircraft in Kuwait,” one of the sources said.

The moment he started smoking, irked passengers informed the cabin crew about it and one of the airhostesses approached him and requested him not to smoke. He, however, refused and started shouting at her. “This led to an ugly scene. She allegedly snatched the cigarette from his mouth and this infuriated the man who started abusing her. This was reported to the flight captain, who in turn passed on the information to the Chennai ATC, asking them to be ready with security personnel,” an officer noted.

Following the request, a CISF team secured Ismail as soon he was brought out of the aircraft. He was later handed over to the airport police. Based on a complaint from Indigo Airlines official, Ismail was arrested and remanded on Sunday, police said.