Despite a prohibition on smoking aboard aircraft, 13 incidents of smoking in plane lavatories were reported in 2023, raising the risk of in-flight fires and accidents.
In January 2023, a 62-year-old Keralite was arrested for allegedly smoking inside the lavatory of a SpiceJet aircraft. The Nedumbassery police registered a case against him under Section 179 of the Indian Penal Code, which attracts a maximum punishment of six-month imprisonment or a fine of ₹1,000, or both. In another incident, a 56-year-old on a Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) for smoking bidi midair.
Aviation experts are of the view that heightened vigil is required onboard aircraft to prevent such incidents, which have the potential to lead to in-flight fires and fatalities, especially considering the growth of the Indian aviation industry, which is the third-largest domestic aviation market globally, facilitating one billion trips in 2023.
Also, discarding cigarette butts and matchsticks in lavatory trash bins is a hazardous act with grave implications, as these bins often contain flammable materials like paper towels and alcohol-based sanitizer wipes, making them potential fire hazards. Such actions can lead to a catastrophic fire, endangering the lives of co-passengers and crew, said an airline crew.
Global incidents underscore the gravity of the issue. Lavatory fire was the main reason for aircraft accidents such as Varig Flight 820 crash in 1973 that claimed 123 lives and Air Canada flight incident in 1983 in which 23 lives were lost. The fire on an El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Bangkok in 2022 was also caused by a lit cigarette, which was subsequently averted by the vigilant crew.
Handling of hazardous items on board planes also poses similar challenges. Though passenger baggage often contains hazardous items, such as lithium batteries, perfumes, lighters, or matchboxes, posing potential fire or explosion risks due to in-flight conditions, most flyers lack awareness of baggage regulations and prohibited items. Further, the language barriers multiply the risks, especially for remote villagers. The incidents of the labourer smoking beedi on the Akasa flight shed light on the lack of awareness about the associated risks of such acts among rural travellers, which needs to be addressed immediately, said Biji Eapen, president, IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI).
Though the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) implemented new safety measures and directed countries through ICAO Document (10147), underscoring the necessity for a new safety regime, advocating for a competency-based approach to dangerous goods training that aligns with individual country regulations, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is yet to make a regulatory framework ensuring adequate accountability via airline operators, creating a fresh safety culture that delivers a hassle-free, smooth security and screening procedure, elevating passenger satisfaction in alignment with global benchmarks.
