Two passengers offloaded from Akasa Air Goa–Delhi flight over alleged unruly behaviour

Two passengers were offloaded from an Akasa Air flight operating from Goa to Delhi after allegedly misbehaving with cabin crew, resulting in a delay of more than 90 minutes, airline sources report.

The incident took place on flight QP1358 while cabin crew members were assisting passengers with arranging luggage in the overhead compartments. A crew member, identified as Abhinav, was helping to place baggage when two passengers, Anup Bhargava and Chandan Mishra, objected and reportedly asked him not to touch their bag.

According to accounts of the incident, the crew member reportedly explained that he was assisting with proper luggage placement for the safety and convenience of all passengers. The situation then escalated when Anup Bhargava allegedly became aggressive and verbally abused the crew member, questioning his actions and threatening him. Bhargava is also accused of pushing the cabin crew member during the confrontation.

Despite an apology from the crew member in an attempt to defuse the situation, both passengers allegedly continued to behave in an unruly manner. Following repeated instances of misconduct, the cabin crew decided to offload the two passengers in the interest of maintaining onboard safety and discipline.

After being asked to deboard, Bhargava allegedly refused to leave the aircraft, made phone calls and resisted deboarding until other passengers intervened and urged him to exit. Visuals from inside the aircraft showed him standing at the entry gate and refusing to disembark, while Mishra was also seen misbehaving with the crew. Both passengers were eventually removed from the flight, after which the pilot made an announcement to passengers.

The disruption led to the flight’s departure being delayed by more than an hour and a half. Airlines maintain strict protocols against unruly behaviour, which can lead to passengers being removed from flights and facing possible legal consequences.

Bhargava and Mishra are senior officials at ISGEC and had reportedly travelled to Goa to attend India Energy Week, as per reports.

Reacting to the incident, Akasa Air reportedly said the passengers were deboarded in line with established procedures.