Air India to introduce women-only seats on board planes

Air India: Set to introduce women only rows after spate of sexual assaults
AP
Saphora Smith16 January 2017

Air India has said it will introduce women-only rows of seats following a spate of sexual harassment reports on board its planes.

Cabin crew could also be issued with plastic handcuffs so they are able to restrain passengers who attempt to harass women, according to reports.

From January 18 female passengers will be able to purchase tickets for a women’s only section on Air India flights, according to The Hindu newspaper.

Air India told the paper that the section, which is in economy class, has been introduced to make women feel more “comfortable”.

A spokesman said: “We feel, as national carriers, it is our responsibility to enhance comfort levels to female passengers.

“There are a lot of female passengers who travel alone with us and we will be blocking a few seats for them.”

The tickets will be the same price as a normal seat.

According to local media the policy has been introduced amid reports of a spate of sexual assaults on the airline, with at least two women reporting they had been groped by male passengers in the last two months.

The policy is controversial in India. Some have praised the airline for protecting women while others have described the move as backwards.

A former Air India executive director Jitendra Bhargava told The Hindu: “It is an impractical move and will lead to gender discrimination. The airline should not go ahead with the plan.”

Air India could not be reached for comment.

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