India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
A
SpiceJet
passenger
has
alleged
that
an
off-duty
Air
India
Express
pilot
assaulted
the
passenger
at
Delhi
airport’s
Terminal
1
after
a
dispute
at
security.
Police
said
they
learnt
about
the
Delhi
airport
incident
from
social
media
and
are
waiting
for
a
written
complaint.
Air
India
Express
has
removed
the
pilot
from
duty.
The
airline
confirmed
the
pilot
was
travelling
as
a
regular
passenger
when
the
argument
allegedly
turned
violent.
According
to
sources
cited
by
PTI,
the
pilot
later
boarded
an
IndiGo
flight
to
Bengaluru
after
the
Delhi
airport
incident.
So
far,
neither
the
passenger
nor
the
airline
has
lodged
a
formal
police
complaint.
An
Air
India
Express
pilot
was
removed
from
duty
after
an
alleged
assault
on
passenger
Ankit
Dewan
at
Delhi
airport’s
Terminal
1,
following
a
dispute
near
security;
no
formal
police
complaint
has
been
filed,
though
Dewan
shared
the
incident
on
social
media.
India
Express
Air
India
Express
response
to
Delhi
airport
incident
Air
India
Express
issued
a
statement
expressing
regret
over
the
Delhi
airport
incident
and
said
the
airline
“strongly
condemns
any
form
of
unacceptable
behaviour”.
The
airline
stated
that
the
pilot
has
been
taken
off
official
duties
with
immediate
effect
while
further
action
is
pursued.
The
statement
added
that
the
airline
empathised
with
the
distress
caused
to
the
passenger
and
family.
The
complainant,
identified
as
Ankit
Dewan,
shared
a
detailed
account
of
the
Delhi
airport
incident
on
X.
Dewan
named
Air
India
Express
pilot
Virender
Sejwal
and
said
Dewan
was
travelling
with
family,
including
a
four-month-old
baby
in
a
stroller.
Dewan
wrote
that
airport
personnel
directed
the
family
towards
a
priority
security
lane.
Queue
dispute
and
Delhi
airport
incident
timeline
Dewan
claimed
the
special
lane
was
used
both
by
airport
staff
and
passengers
needing
assistance.
Dewan
alleged
some
airline
employees,
including
the
pilot,
moved
ahead
in
the
queue.
When
Dewan
objected,
a
heated
argument
started.
Dewan
further
alleged
the
pilot
used
abusive
language
and
then
physically
assaulted
Dewan
near
the
security
checkpoint.
According
to
Dewan,
the
Delhi
airport
incident
left
visible
injuries
that
required
medical
attention.
Dewan
said
the
confrontation
happened
in
front
of
family
members.
Dewan
stated
that
the
seven-year-old
daughter
saw
the
altercation
and
appeared
shaken.
Dewan
also
said
the
clash
ruined
the
beginning
of
a
planned
holiday
and
raised
doubts
about
crew
members
managing
anger.
Dewan
criticised
Delhi
airport
management,
linking
the
Delhi
airport
incident
to
poor
crowd
handling.
Dewan
alleged
that
mixing
airline
staff
with
passengers
carrying
infants
at
the
same
access
point
caused
confusion.
Dewan
suggested
clearer
segregation
of
lanes
for
employees
and
vulnerable
passengers
could
have
prevented
tension
building
at
the
security
area.
Dewan
also
alleged
that
several
people
pressured
Dewan
to
sign
a
statement
promising
not
to
pursue
the
Delhi
airport
incident
further.
Dewan
claimed
refusing
might
have
meant
missing
the
flight
and
losing
costly
holiday
bookings.
Dewan
wrote
that
there
is
uncertainty
about
whether
any
justice
will
follow
once
the
trip
ends
and
a
complaint
is
filed.
|
Key detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Location |
Delhi airport Terminal 1 security area |
| Passenger |
Ankit Dewan, travelling with family and infant |
|
Pilot named |
Air India Express pilot Virender Sejwal |
|
Airline status |
Pilot removed from duty after Delhi airport incident |
|
Police status |
No written complaint yet; action promised after filing |
|
Later travel |
Pilot reportedly flew on an IndiGo flight to Bengaluru |
The
Delhi
airport
incident
has
now
raised
questions
over
airline
crew
conduct,
airport
queue
management,
and
how
conflicts
at
security
are
handled.
With
no
formal
complaint
yet,
police
and
airport
authorities
are
relying
on
social
media
accounts,
while
Air
India
Express
continues
its
internal
process
against
the
pilot
named
by
the
passenger.
