Air India row: Fight over tiffin cleaning delays flight; airline may announce ban on pilots bringing own food

A minor incident of an altercation between an Air India captain and a cabin crew member took a serious turn and it may lead the airline to ban pilots from bringing their own food onboard an aircraft. The incident took place on Monday when the captain and the crew member got into a heated argument after the former allegedly asking the latter to clean his tiffin after finishing the meal.

A senior official of the national carrier told PTI, "We have taken a serious note of this incident that happened on Monday. We will soon ask the pilots to not bring their own food on flights." While another official reportedly said that 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". Following this bizzare incident, the Bengaluru-Kolkata flight was delayed by 77 minutes.

"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 was quoted as saying.

The matter has also been reported to the aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Earlier on March 27, Air India had instructed its pilots to not order special meals for themselves during the flights as they are required to adhere to a "meal schedule laid down by the company". The decision was taken as the pilots were found to be ordering special meals for themselves such as burgers, soups, smoked salmon, guacamole and more.