New Delhi: Air India is likely to ban pilots from bringing their own food onboard an aircraft, according to senior officials, in the wake of an altercation between a captain and a cabin crew member.
The incident took place on Monday when the captain and the crew member got into a heated argument after the former allegedly asked the latter to clean his tiffin after finishing his meal.
An official of the airline said the flight AI772 was supposed to leave from Bengaluru for Kolkata at around 11.40 am on Monday but it got delayed by approximately two hours as the captain and the cabin crew member - who had got into a fight - had to be "removed and replaced in the plane".
"I have been told that the captain wanted the cabin crew member to clean the tiffin after he finished his meal. Probably, this is what lead to a fight between them. An investigation regarding this incident has already been started. Strict action will be taken," he said.
AI chairman Ashwani Lohani said: "This nonsense has to stop and will stop." Lohani has taken a very strict view of the fight on Bengaluru-Kolkata flight and both the crew members have been summoned to the airline's Delhi HQ on Thursday for questioning.
Earlier this year, AI had barred its pilots from ordering special meals for themselves and asked them to take the regular meals ordered by the airline. Flight caterers had complained it was a regular practice to get special meal requests from AI pilots.
AI director (operations) captain Amitabh Singh had written a mail to pilots this March saying: "It has been brought to (his) notice that flight crew are ordering special meal/s which is against rules. In light of the above, all cockpit crew (pilots) are instructed not to order special meals as and when operating a flight/staff on duty movement," captain Singh's order had said.