Action against four Air India employees for 'stealing' unserved food from planes

New Delhi: Air India has taken disciplinary action against its four employees for allegedly "stealing" unserved food and dry ration from its planes, senior officials of the national carrier have said.

In August 2017, Air India's Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani had issued an internal communication saying that ground staff and officers often take out unserved food and dry ration "for their personal consumption" on arrival of the aircraft.

"Officials found indulging in such practice should be summarily placed under suspension," the circular read.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior official of the national carrier said, "Since the August 2017 circular, the airline has taken action against two employees of the catering department and two cabin crew employees, who were found to be stealing surplus food and rations from planes."

The official said that an assistant manager and a senior assistant in the catering department were suspended for 63 days and three days respectively after they were found indulging in the practice, the official said. Also, in March last year, two cabin crew members of a New Delhi-Sydney flight were warned and put on domestic flights only, the officials added.