An off-duty pilot of Air India Express has been accused of assault by a passenger at Delhi airport. social media
Digital Desk, New Delhi. Most people who travel by air know how frustrating it is to stand in the security check line at the airport. But at Terminal-1 of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, a small matter became so big that the matter reached a scuffle. A passenger has alleged that the off-duty pilot of Air India Express attacked him, leaving his face bloodied.
According to X Post, the name of the victim passenger is Ankit Dewan. He was going on a holiday by SpiceJet flight with his family – wife, 7-year-old daughter and 4-month-old younger daughter. Because of the little girl's stroller, airport staff allowed her to use the special staffed security line.
Ankit told on social media that some staff members were trying to move forward in the line. When he interrupted, Air India Express Captain Virendra Sejwal (who was off-duty that day and was going to Bengaluru on an IndiGo flight) expressed his displeasure. The matter escalated and the pilot allegedly raised his hand on Ankit.
Ankit shared a photo of blood on his face in his post and wrote, "I bled out. My 7-year-old daughter saw everything and is still in shock." He also said that there were stains of his blood on the pilot's shirt.
After this incident, Ankit alleges that he was forced to write a letter stating that he would not pursue the matter further. Otherwise he would have missed the flight and his holiday booking worth Rs 1.2 lakh would have been ruined. Tagging Delhi Police, he raised the question, "Can't I file a complaint after coming back? Will the CCTV footage disappear?"
AIX Pilot, Capt. Vijender Sejwal pic.twitter.com/Ntp1pnDgdb
Air India Express responded immediately. The airline issued a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at Delhi Airport, involving one of our employees who was traveling as a passenger on another airline. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by this incident, and strongly condemn such conduct. The employee concerned has been removed from official duties with immediate effect, and appropriate action will be taken following a thorough investigation."
The airline added, "We will not be commenting publicly on this matter until the legal process is complete, but please be assured that this matter is in our full attention. We are fully committed to fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities to ensure a fair and thorough investigation."
It is noteworthy that this incident is once again raising questions on line management and staff-passenger behavior at the airport. Especially when special facilities are given to families with small children, then why such chaos? And the biggest question is, if pilots cannot handle so much anger on the ground, then how will they handle the responsibility of hundreds of lives in the sky?