Air India Express Pilot Grounded After Alleged Assault on Passenger at Delhi Airport

December 20, 2025 at 02:25 AM•2 min read

Air India Express grounded a pilot after a passenger claimed he was assaulted during a heated queue dispute at Delhi Airport security.

Key Points

1Air India Express immediately grounded a pilot, Captain Virender Sejwal, after he allegedly assaulted a passenger during a queue dispute at Delhi Airport security.
2The confrontation began when the passenger called out the pilot for queue cutting at a security line designated for airline staff and passengers with infants.
3India's Civil Aviation Ministry directed the grounding and mandated formal inquiries by BCAS and CISF into the security breach and assault claims.
4The passenger claimed he was coerced into signing a waiver to prevent missing his flight and forfeiting substantial holiday costs.

Air India Express has grounded one of its pilots following allegations that he physically assaulted a passenger, Ankit Dewan, at Delhi Airport (DEL) after a heated argument over queue etiquette. The confrontation occurred at a security check point designated for airline staff and passengers traveling with infants, which Dewan was using due to having a four-month-old baby. Dewan claimed the argument escalated when he called out the pilot, identified as Captain Virender Sejwal, for cutting the queue, leading to the pilot allegedly asking if he was illiterate and subsequently assaulting him. Dewan posted photos showing his face bloodied, asserting the incident traumatized his seven-year-old daughter and ruined his holiday.

Following the public outcry and Dewan’s posts on X, Air India Express issued an apology, confirming the pilot was traveling as a passenger on another airline at the time. The carrier stated the employee was “immediately” removed from all official duties pending a thorough investigation and committed to cooperating fully with law enforcement authorities. The Indian Civil Aviation Ministry subsequently intervened, directing the airline to formalize the pilot’s grounding with immediate effect. The Ministry also ordered formal inquiries into the incident, seeking detailed reports from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Beyond the assault, Dewan raised significant questions regarding aviation safety, questioning the fitness of pilots who cannot exercise restraint in public scuffles. He also criticized Delhi Airport for combining staff entry with passenger entry for infants, which he claimed created chaos. Furthermore, Dewan alleged that he was coerced into writing a letter stating he would not follow up on the matter, claiming he was forced to choose between signing the waiver or missing his flight and losing 1.2 lakh in holiday bookings.