AI grounds 3 crews for sneaking in 'commercial items'

Air India today grounded three cabin crews of a Chicago-Delhi flight for sneaking in some "commercial items" without undergoing mandatory custom clearance at the IGI Airport here.

The trio were grounded after they were found in possession of the "commercial items" during their checking by an Air India security team on their arrival at New Delhi from Chicago on flight AI 126, an AI spokesperson said.

The crews, hired on contract, have been grounded pending completion of the investigation, the spokesperson said.

He said the airline's CMD Pradeep Singh Kharola, taking serious cognisance of the matter, has made it clear to the staff that no "indiscipline" would be tolerated in such cases.

"During the check, they were found to be in possession of commercial items," the spokesperson said but did not disclose the nature of the items, saying an investigation was on.

The crews had reportedly given the customs clearance a miss even while leaving from Delhi, he said.

Besides, there were discrepancies in the foreign currencies in their possession and the amount spent by them, the spokesperson said.