New Delhi, October 04: The cash-strapped national carrier is finding it hard to wriggle out of controversies these days.
A major drama – which could give a Bollywood script a run for its money – took place on an Air India flight after it was airborne on Saturday. The aircraft was on its way from Sharjah to Delhi via Lucknow.
Thirty minutes after flight IC 884 took off from the Gulf city at 2 am on Saturday, the pilot, Captain Ranvir Arora, and co- pilot Captain Aditya Chopra got into an argument with flight purser Amit.
Arora reportedly insulted Amit by saying it was below his dignity to shake hands with a cabin crew member.
After a brief argument, the co-pilot allegedly “raised his hands” in anger. The flight purser, Amit, didn’t lie low. He allegedly hit back. The pilots then reportedly came out leaving the cockpit unattended.
Air hostess Komal tried to cool tempers but the pilots allegedly abused and pushed her to the floor.
The human ‘turbulence’ seriously compromised the lives of more than 100 passengers. Almost all the passengers were witness to the midair drama.
The air hostess has charged that she was “assaulted” by both the pilot and co-pilot.
She has lodged a complaint at the IGIA police station. The air hostess also claimed that medical examination conducted by doctors at the Safdarjung Hospital confirmed assault on her.
An Air India spokesperson, meanwhile, said an inquiry had been ordered. “There are claims and counter-claims,” he said. The pilots and the cabin crew member concerned have been de-rostered.
The pilots have accused the cabin crew of endangering the safety of the passengers. They claimed that the crew members barged into the cockpit first.
The Air India management appears to be siding with the pilots.
A senior official said it was the flight purser who started it all and slapped the aircraft’s co- pilot.
“The flight’s safety wasn’t compromised. It is normal for pilots to put the aircraft on an auto-pilot when airborne,” he said.
The flight purser concerned didn’t introduce himself to the pilots, the official said. The purser, in fact, slapped the co-pilot after a brief argument.
Sources close to the pilot accused the cabin crew of endangering the aircraft’s safety, a charge strongly denied by the cabin crew.
Air India pilots are not new to mid- air controversies. In the recent past, an air hostess had accused a senior pilot of harassing her. In a written complaint, the hostess had alleged that the pilot, on a flight to Male, had given take-off and landing charge to a cabin crew memebr who was not authorised to fly.
–Agencies