Best of 2022: Top 5 VIRAL aviation incidents in India that gave fliers bitter, sweet experience

From Bangkok-Kolkata flight scuffle to IndiGO cabin crew's heated argument, here we have listed the top 5 viral aviation incidents from India that grabbed the most attention in 2022.

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The year 2022 has been a chaotic year for the aviation industry as it saw the entry of a new airline, changing of multiple rules, airlines running into problems with the DGCA, and a struggle to grow after the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of these events generated significant attention on social media, with some receiving positive attention while others were met with criticism. As the year ends and we move ahead into the new year, we look at the incidents that grabbed the most eyeballs on social media. Hence here, we have listed the top 5 viral aviation incidents from India.

'Not your servant...': #IndiGo cabin crew tells passenger on Istanbul-Delhi flight pic.twitter.com/4mfLvjwfjy

— Zee News English (@ZeeNewsEnglish) December 21, 2022

Indigo Flight attendant's heated argument

The most recent of all the incidents that grabbed the most attention was the Indigo cabin crew member getting into a heated argument with a passenger. The incident took the internet by storm, with a massive eruption of users supporting the airline staff. The argument over in-flight meals even grabbed the attention of Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor on Twitter.

#SpiceJet just evacuated our stranded people on our first flight from #Ukraine. We are now en route back to #India. Their optimism made us hopeful of helping more Indians who are witnessing the war, through more SG flights. #EvacuationFlights #RescueIndians #HopeForPeace pic.twitter.com/gLdxhhlsax — SpiceJet (@flyspicejet) March 2, 2022

Spicejet pilot's announcement

The Ukraine-Russia war escalated overnight, causing disruptions globally. The country's transformation into a war zone caused a lot of trouble for the people living there. Amidst the emergency, the Indian government swung into action to rescue the Indians in Ukraine. On one of those flights, the pilot of a Spicejet flight gave a heartwarming speech that took the internet by storm. The pilot welcomes the passengers saying, "We are very happy to see all of you safe and sound and proud of each and every one of you for your courage and determination. You overcame the uncertainty, the hardship, and the fear and have made it here safely. Now it’s time to go back to our motherland."

@flyspicejet risks people’s life, we were choking for 25 mins and even oxygen masks didn’t deploy. Strict action should be taken against such a negligent airline. #spicejet @KTRTRS @DGCAIndia @JM_Scindia @ndtv @timesofindia @TV9Telugu pic.twitter.com/yPqNsiHeh9 — Vivek Vishal (@VivekVi97433075) October 15, 2022

Spicejet flight filled with smoke

While Spicejet grabbed some positive attention, there were also a few negative incidents. The most noticeable of all was in October 2022, when the airline's Goa-Hyderabad flight made an emergency landing. The incident occurred on Q400 aircraft when the aircraft's cabin was filled with smoke. The incident videos went viral on social media platforms, with the passengers complaining that the oxygen masks on the plane didn't deploy for 25 minutes.

The incident started with a viral video accusing Indigo airline of denying boarding to a specially-abled child on a flight. The incident occurred on May 7 at Ranchi airport.  Later on, the airline ended up getting a monetary punishment from the Indian aviation watchdog DGCA.

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Bangkok-Kolkata flight passenger scuffle

On December 28, a scuffle between passengers onboard a plane from Bangkok to Kolkata went viral. The video clip of the scuffle where a passenger was being slapped multiple times by a few co-passengers was shared on social media on Wednesday. The flight was operated by Thai Smile Airways and will be investigated by BCAS as the incident occured on a foreign land.