Air India takes action against 4 employees for ‘stealing’ unserved food, dry ration

Air India takes action against 4 employees for ‘stealing’ unserved food, dry ration

PW Bureau 

An assistant manager and a senior assistant, working in the catering department, were placed on suspension for 63 days and three days respectively  

New Delhi: Four Air India employees have been found allegedly "stealing" dry ration and unserved food from its planes, with the state-run carrier taking disciplinary action against them, a source said. An assistant manager and a senior assistant in the catering department were placed on suspension for 63 days and three days respectively after they were caught partaking in the activities, said the source.

2017 circular warning Air India employees

An internal communication was issued by the carrier's Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani in August 2017, stating that officers and ground staff frequently take out unserved food and dry ration "for their personal consumption" on an aircraft's arrival. "Officials found indulging in such practices should be summarily placed under suspension," the circular read.

"Since the August 2017 circular, the airline has taken action against two employees of the catering department and two cabin crew employees, who were found to be stealing surplus food and rations from planes," a top Air India official said.

The past precedent

Last March, two cabin crew members of a New Delhi-Sydney aircraft were cautioned and placed on just domestic duty for indulging in such activities, the officials added.

"The catering division carries out spot and hygiene checks on flights and at caterer's premises on random basis which pertain only to enforcing quality parameters for the in-flight food," the official said.

A spokesperson of the national carrier has not yet made a statement on the matter.

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