Mumbai: In a bid to restrain air passengers from misbehaving, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation allowed airlines to carry plastic or nylon handcuffs on board.
According to a DGCA statement, the device will be used only when there is a physical assault on the crew, on a fellow passenger or if there is a threat to the aircraft.
As per the DGCA guidelines, crew members must try to placate the situation and must only use the restrainer when verbal communication and written notice fail to resolve the matter. "Restraining devices should be used when all conciliatory approaches have been exhausted," the statement said.
"The DGCA's nod came in at the end of 2015. We will have restrainers on board shortly and use them in the interest of flight safety as and when required," a Jet Airways official was quoted as saying.
In the past, incidents of unruly behaviour have gone up in proportion to increase in air traffic.
