Air India Female-Only Rows Are Introduced After Women Passengers Are Groped On Airline

Women flying on the national airline of India will soon have the option to sit in female-only rows.

The announcement came Thursday after reports of men physically harassing women on Air India planes, including one incident last month when a man switched to an empty seat and groped a sleeping woman. Earlier in January, a passenger was arrested after sexually harassing a flight attendant.

“We feel, as national carriers, it is our responsibility to enhance comfort level to female passengers,” said Meenakshi Malik, general manager of Air India.

The airline introduced the service on internal flights this week, and it will continue to roll out the service throughout the rest of the year.

Women who opt to sit in these designated rows, which have six seats in total, will not be charged any extra fees.

This is the second measure in the past few weeks that Air India has taken to discourage physical harassment against women. The airline announced that it would keep plastic restraints on planes and passengers can now be handcuffed if they are accused of behaving inappropriately on flights.

Not everyone has agreed with Air India’s latest decision, including a former Air India executive director. The move to include women-only rows was a “misplaced priority,” Jitendra Bhargava told The Hindu news outlet.

“To my knowledge, this happens nowhere in the world,” Bhargava said. “Planes are not unsafe for women passengers. In case of unruly behaviour, the airline crew are authorised to take action as per the law.”

In India, transportation designated for women is already available on the ground. Women can ride in pink rickshaws reserved for them, and they can also ride in separate train cars and buses.

India has one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, but safety has become an increasingly prominent concern in the past couple of years. Some of those safety violations include planes flying too close to each other, staff who are overworked, and pilots who have tested positive for alcohol while on duty.