Air India cabin crew assaulted at London hotel; airline pursuing matter with local police

New Delhi/Mumbai, Aug 18 (PTI) A female cabin crew member of Air India was allegedly assaulted by an intruder at a London hotel earlier this week, with the airline saying it is pursuing the matter with the local police.

Sources in the know said a homeless man barged into the room at the hotel where the female cabin crew was staying and assaulted her.

As she shouted, others staying nearby came and rescued her and the person was caught, they added.

One of the sources said the cabin crew was allegedly sexually assaulted at the hotel while two other sources claimed it was a physical assault.

The incident happened at a star hotel near the London Heathrow airport. The cabin crew member has returned to India and is undergoing counselling, the sources added.

In a statement, an Air India spokesperson said it was “deeply anguished by an unlawful incident of intrusion at a hotel, operated by a major international chain, that affected one of our crew members”.

The airline in the statement said it is providing all possible support to the colleague and their broader team, including professional counselling.

“Air India is also working with the local police to pursue the matter to the fullest extent of the law, and with the hotel management to ensure such incidents are not repeated. We request that the privacy of those involved is respected,” it said.

After the incident came to light, airline employees took to the airline’s internal communication platform to complain about safety issues.

One of them claimed hotel staff was unavailable at night and that there is no control over access to the premises, one of the sources said.

In a fresh statement on Sunday, the airline said it has reached out to the management of the current hotel to ensure the security of colleagues staying there.

“We have been given an assurance that there will be no compromise to safety and security till such time our colleagues are relocated to another hotel,” it said in a post on X.

Emphasising that “we are as concerned about this incident as all of you are” and deeply anguished at the incident, the airline also said it took immediate measures and decided to move colleagues to another hotel.

According to the Tata Group-owned airline, it constantly reviews travel and stay arrangements, made at reputed international hotel chains, based on employee feedback and internal review.

Meanwhile, a section of cabin crew members of Tata Group airline Air India Express has been flagging concerns about accommodation provided to them at various stations and long layovers.

In the post on X, Air India also requested for respecting the privacy of those involved and urged people to refrain from speculation on social media.