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The woman expressed disappointment with the handling of the situation, stating that the response felt like a “box-ticking exercise”
The incident reportedly took place on the night of August 8. (AFP file photo)
A woman has alleged that a co-pilot on an IndiGo flight entered the aircraft lavatory while she was using it, shortly before takeoff.
The incident reportedly took place on the night of August 8 and was detailed by Rhea Chaterji, Co-Founder of the gold merchandise platform Safegold, in a LinkedIn post shared on Monday.
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According to Chaterji, she boarded a late-night flight and went to use the forward lavatory, which was initially unlocked. She stated that after locking the door and sitting down, she heard a knock and responded. A second knock followed, to which she replied more loudly. Before she could finish speaking, the door was allegedly opened by a male crew member, identified as the First Officer. She wrote that he looked directly at her and said “oh” before closing the door.
Chaterji described feeling “shocked and utterly violated.” She said the female flight attendants tried to downplay the incident, referring to it as an “inconvenience” and stating they were sure the co-pilot “hadn’t seen anything.”
“I wanted to run as fast as I could away from that space. Instead, I had no choice but to return to my seat and spend the next 1.5 hours wishing I could be invisible. I felt such a deep sense of revulsion within my own body, and a complete feeling of being alone,” the woman wrote in her post.
She added that the crew continued to speak with her during the flight despite her requests to be left alone, and said she was told to go speak to the Captain and First Officer in the cockpit. Chaterji declined, citing anxiety over the situation.
After the flight, she contacted IndiGo’s leadership by email. In her post, she said the airline responded with calls and an email that offered an apology, a refund, and vouchers.
She expressed disappointment with the handling of the situation, stating that the response felt like a “box-ticking exercise.”
“I also don’t believe that they have the slightest intention of making any meaningful, lasting change. That’s why I haven’t even bothered tagging them here, despite having included them in an appreciation post just a few weeks ago,” she wrote.
IndiGo later issued a public apology, calling the incident an “inadvertent mistake” and saying the crew involved had been “counselled and sensitised.” The airline also said it was reinforcing training to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
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