Air travel has always had its share of chaos — from crying babies to cramped seats and lost luggage. But lately, it’s been the adults causing the real mid-air turbulence.
Each week, it seems, brings a new viral video: someone being booted off a flight for fighting another passenger, berating flight staff, or worse. Maybe it’s the change in cabin pressure or what’s on tap at the airport bar — there’s something about flying 35,000 feet in the air that makes some people lose their minds.
But one airline takes the cake for the most bizarre and disturbing in-flight incidents: Air India.
Formerly the national airline of India till its privatization in 2022, Air India has seen a rise in passengers urinating on fellow travelers mid-flight.
Since 2022, there have been at least four such high-profile incidents on Air India flights — raising serious concerns about in-flight safety, alcohol service policies, and crew protocols for handling unruly passengers.
November 2022: A Shocking Business Class Assault
The first major incident came on a New York to Delhi flight, where an intoxicated passenger, Shankar Mishra, allegedly urinated on a 72-year-old woman in business class.
The case made international headlines, only after the victim went public with her complaint, leading to Mishra’s arrest and a four-month flying ban. He was also fired from his job at Wells Fargo, where he was the vice president of its India operations.
In a letter to Air India, the victim wrote, “My clothes, shoes, and bag were completely soaked in urine.” While the stewardess sprayed disinfectant on her bag and shoes, the passenger was forced to return to her urine-soiled business class seat for two hours, instead of a vacant first-class seat.
December 2022: Pee on a Blanket
Less than ten days later, another incident was reported on an Air India flight from Paris to Delhi. An unnamed drunk male passenger allegedly relieved himself on the blanket of a woman while she was in the lavatory.
In this case, the victim chose not to pursue charges against the accused.
June 2023: A Revolting Scene in Economy
Six months later, an Air India passenger named Ram Singh decided he’d outdo his predecessors by not just urinating on the floor of a domestic flight from Mumbai to Delhi, but also defecating and spitting.
On the ground, he was charged by Delhi police with public misconduct by a drunken person — indicating he was likely under the influence of alcohol served on the flight.
April 2025: A Japanese Executive Targeted
This month, mayhem returned to Air India’s business class as a drunk passenger by the name of Tushar Masand urinated on Hiroshi Yoshizane, a Japanese business executive, on a flight from Delhi to Bangkok.
According to an Air India incident report, Yoshizane, who is the managing director of Bridgestone India, alerted the crew and was “quickly provided wet towels to clean his clothes.” Yoshizane was able to change his clothes in the lavatory.
After a complaint by Yoshizane’s seatmate, Masand was made to sit with ordinary passengers in economy and only received a 30-day ban.
The airline says it conducted “deep cleaning” of the seats.
A Crisis of Culture — and Policy?
Alcohol appears to have played a role in all four incidents. But culture may matter too.
Given the hierarchical nature of Indian society, business class customers may be less inclined to play by the rules, and flight staff may have less leverage to enforce norms.
Drinking is less common in India than in Western countries, but when Indians drink, they tend to prefer hard liquors.
Public urination and defecation are also common in India — it’s unfortunately a world leader on both counts. Those practices are more common among the rural poor.
But it’s wealthier Indians who are taking those practices mile high. And that’s threatening the brand overhaul of Air India, now owned by the Tata Group.
Until the airline can stem the tide of these incidents, one thing is clear: Air India has a pee problem — and it can’t simply be flushed away.
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