Air India pilot assaults engineer

Chennai: An Air India pilot on Saturday allegedly punched an engineer after an argument that led to the Chennai-Delhi flight getting delayed, an airport official said.

Technical glitches
The flight was initially delayed due to some technical reasons, and the pilot was not satisfied about the rectification of the snag and refused to fly.

This led to an argument with the engineer and he allegedly punched him on his nose and then locked himself in the cockpit. The engineer was admitted to a hospital with a bleeding nose. His colleagues have threatened to go on strike.

Investigation
The engineers demanded a police complaint against the pilot. Sources said Air India has instituted a probe into the incident, and the pilot was derostered. The flight took off with a new crew after a couple of hours. -