‘Unruly’ Italian passenger tied to her seat on Vistara flight

Vistara cabin crew tied an ‘unruly’ Italian passenger to her seat after she allegedly became violent on a flight from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai in India on Monday.

Airline staff alleged in a police complaint that 45 year old Paola Perruccio of Italian nationality assaulted a member of the cabin crew and spat on another mid-air.

The complaint alleges that Perruccio sat down in business class despite having an economy class ticket. When asked to move back, she allegedly punched 24 year old L S Khan, a male member of the cabin crew, in the face.

Then, the passenger spat on another member of the cabin crew, before stripping until she was half naked and paraded around the plane littering and disturbing passengers, according to the complaint.

The cabin crew realised that Perrucio was “inebriated” and tied her up under Captain’s orders…

“We confirm that there was an unruly passenger on Vistara flight UK 256 operating from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai on January 20, 2023.

“In view of the continued unruly conduct and violent behaviour, the captain issued a warning card and made a decision to restrain the customer. The pilot made regular announcements to assure the other customers onboard of their safety and security.

“In accordance with the guidelines and our stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs), the security agencies on-ground were informed to take immediate action upon arrival.”

When the flight landed in Mumbai, police arrested Perruccio under suspicion of “an act of endangering the life of personal safety and other bailable offences under the IPC and The Aircraft Rules (1937).”

A medical examination confirmed the cabin crew’s suspicions that the unruly Italian was drunk.

Later in the day, the court allowed Peruccio to be released on bail for 25,000 rupees (US$306). The court confiscated her passport and said it will be returned once the trial is complete.

Peruccio’s lawyer, Prabhakar Tripathi, told a different side of the story. He told the BBC that Peruccio was “uncomfortable” in her seat and “requested to be moved to a vacant seat” leading to a “disagreement.”

The lawyer says that Peruccio was not allowed to use the bathroom due to turbulence.

“She was later allowed to go to the washroom but was tied up on return.”

He denied that Peruccio was drunk, despite her medical exam results.

Passenger misconduct on Indian flights is in the spotlight since an Indian man was arrested for urinating on a 70 year old passenger on an Air India flight from New York to Delhi in November.