Air India Express Pilot Grounded After Alleged Assault at Delhi Airport

December 20, 2025 at 06:16 AM•1 min read

The Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation ordered a formal probe after an Air India Express pilot was grounded for allegedly assaulting a passenger at Delhi

Key Points

1Air India Express pilot was immediately grounded following an alleged physical assault on a passenger at Delhi Airport Terminal 1.
2The altercation reportedly stemmed from a dispute over queue-cutting at a secure staff entry gate.
3Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation ordered formal reports from BCAS and CISF regarding the security breach and staff conduct.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) in India has initiated a high-level inquiry following the alleged assault of a passenger by an Air India Express pilot at Delhi Airport’s Terminal 1. The incident, which reportedly occurred during a dispute over queue-cutting at a staff entry gate, resulted in the immediate grounding of the pilot pending the outcome of the investigation.

The MoCA has formally requested detailed reports from both the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the agencies responsible for airport security and access control at major Indian hubs. This directive underscores the seriousness with which the government views matters of operational discipline and passenger safety within the commercial aviation sector.

The probe will focus on determining the precise sequence of events leading to the physical altercation and assessing whether established security protocols were breached by the airline staff member. Air India Express confirmed the grounding of the pilot and stated it is cooperating fully with the regulatory bodies involved in the investigation.