High drama unfolded at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Tuesday after a woman travelling with Air India AI-019 allegedly slapped a woman duty manager twice for not allowing her to board the flight as she reportedly reached late at the airport.
The duty manager also slapped the accused woman passenger, who is wife of an IAS officer currently posted as an observer in Gujarat Assembly polls.
According to a senior Delhi Police officer, the incident took place after the Ahmedabad-bound woman had an argument with the official. She was supposed to board a flight at 4.30 am on Tuesday, but as she arrived late for the boarding, she missed her flight.
“The woman passenger was told by a counter staff that she will not be able to check-in because she was late for the flight. This led to an argument and the staff directed her to the duty manager who was also a woman and there was an argument and an altercation,” an Air India spokesperson said. “The passenger allegedly slapped the duty manager. The duty manager also hit back,” DCP, Airport, Sanjay Bhatia said.
The Delhi Police said it had received a call regarding the altercation at Terminal 3, and had responded accordingly.
Later, Air India issued a statement, confirming that an altercation did take place between the passenger and the staffer but added that the issue had been resolved “amicably” with the help of security and police. Reportedly, the two women involved in the fracas have even apologised to each other over the incident.
Earlier this month, another airline, IndiGo, had found itself at the centre of a massive controversy after a video showing its staffers manhandling a passenger at the tarmac of Delhi airport had gone viral, forcing the airline to issue an apology.