The incident is being probed by both AI and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation

NEW DELHI: "Rinse my lunch box." These were the words that triggered a major fight on board an Air India aircraft at Bengaluru airport on Monday (June 17) morning when the captain reportedly asked this of the flight purser. The cabin crew member on AI 772, that was preparing for take-off to Kolkata with boarding completed, took offence and then the two almost came to blows in full view of passengers. When informed of the situation by other crew on board, the airline immediately grounded both of them and the flight operated with a delay of two hours after calling in another captain and purser.

This fight, which now both AI and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are probing, happened when AI's Airbus A320 was going to operate on the Bengaluru-Kolkata route. "The pilot got food from home and asked the senior crew member to heat it. Apparently after finishing his meal, the pilot told this crew member to rinse the container. He objected to being asked to do so and there was an altercation but perhaps no fist fight," said a senior aviation official probing this case.

Confirming the onboard fight, an AI spokesman said, "Airline chairman Ashwani Lohani has taken a very stern view of this issue. Both the pilot and crew member have been summoned to the Delhi HQ for questioning on Thursday. The two were off-rostered (taken off flying duty) the moment report of this fight came to the management."

Asked if being asked to clean a tiffin box led to the fight, the AI official said, "During preliminary questioning, both the flight crew members have said that they were pushed by the other when they were going to the cockpit. Both are accusing the other of pushing them first which led to the fight. This issue is being probed to see exactly what led to the fight."

The fight led to the flight being delayed by over two hours. AI 772 has a schedule departure time of 11.15 am from Bengaluru and arrives in Kolkata two hours later. On Monday when the fight broke out, the flight left Bengaluru at 1.22pm after AI got a replacement crew as the captain and flight purser had been grounded.

Luckily this fight did not erupt mid air and happened when the aircraft was on the ground at the airport. In the past, airlines have witnessed midair fights between crew members too.

A senior pilot said, "Crew members fighting on board aircraft, or during layovers between flights, is simply not acceptable. It does not matter who started the fight , the other person should have acted with restraint, maturity and filed a report with the management for further action," said a senior pilot.

