Get cameras in cabin to keep an eye on unruly pax: Experts

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Amid incidents of unruly passenger behaviour onboard planes, a section of legal and aviation experts feel there is a need to install cameras in aircraft cabin as an additional measure to ensure discipline and safety for passengers. Electronic monitoring system such as CCTVs in cabin and body cameras for cabin crew could be looked at as options, they opined, though there might be concerns over privacy of the passengers with the deployment of such technologies.

Not just keeping everyone alert but electronic monitoring system will also help in generating evidence in case there is any unruly act onboard a flight, they said. "I think this is a very valid argument..." said Justice Sakha Ram Singh, senior advocate and former judge. "Why shouldn't we have cameras on board? I don't see any logic for not having a surveillance mechanism like CCTV in the cabin?" said Sanat Kaul, a former representative of India to the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

However, a section of pilots believes that having CCTV in aircraft cabin will amount to infringement of privacy of an individual. Captain C S Randhawa, Secretary of the Federation of Indian Pilots, said that nowhere in the world, there are cameras in the aircraft cabin. "In a long haul flight, people sleep and sometimes couples cuddle up with each other. I see it (having cameras in cabin) as a violation of the right to privacy of passengers."

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