Passengers on an AirAsia domestic flight, flying from Kuala Lumpur to Labuan were surprised by Melvindip Singh Sandhu and his friends who broke into an impromptu bhangra routine in the plane’s aisle earlier this month.
The flash mob in the skies forced many passengers out of their sleep while others took out their phones to record the ‘rare’ in-flight moment.
In the video, Mr Sandhu is seen leading three passengers - all friends of his - into the plane’s aisle, all of whom can be seen bopping to a hit Punjabi song by British rapper and singer Panjabi MC.
While the performance wasn’t choreographed, what stole the show was the young flight attendant’s intricate moves and complex footwork that he managed to showcase in the narrow aisle of the aircraft, which had passengers seated on both sides.
Born to an Indian-origin family based in Malaysia, Mr Sandhu told SBS Punjabi that the idea was to promote the “fun and friendly ethics they follow within AirAsia."
“I have done it before on some of my flights, which are like an above-average load. Sometimes I also do such fun gigs on English songs and reward the passengers that participate with a small token of appreciation,” he said.
The 27-year-old, was, however, quick to add that the gigs, which he said were infrequent, were only performed after permission from the captain and within strict adherence to in-flight safety regulations.
“We do need to take permissions from the captain on board as he’s the person in charge and before performing acts like these, I always ensure that safety comes first by checking the weather situation and making sure the seatbelt signs are turned off by the captain, which means there is no turbulence at the time,” added Mr Sandhu.
Melvindip Singh Sandhu Source: Supplied
“The passengers on the plane were very supportive and happy with the act. As you can see in the video, many of them were into it and recording the performance so it could be a part of their memory of flying via AirAsia.
“Afterall, not all airlines provide onboard entertainment like this,” he added.
This isn't the first time that crew members of an airline have been filmed while performing mid-air.
In 2012, flight attendants of Finnair Airlines, the flag carrier of Finland had performed a dance routine to mark India's Republic Day.
In September 2019, the Indian aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), had reportedly issued a warning to the airlines after several videos of the crew members singing and dancing while on duty, surfaced on the internet.
But while concerns were raised in India, one analyst said India was the only country with such strict rules concerning crew members featuring in such videos.
“There are so many videos of pilots and crew members from across the world. Why hasn’t the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration of the FAA) ever taken action against them?” aviation analyst Mark Martin told The Print.
SBS Punjabi reached out to the airline for comment.
"Yes this was an approved inflight activation - AirAsia does these regularly. It was conducted mid-flight and prior approved as mentioned," the airline said in a statement.
