Air India has dismissed reports of a cockpit punch-up between a pilot and co-pilot on one of its planes but admits there were "some tense scenes" that resulted in the two men being grounded.
The struggling state-run carrier has "derostered" the pair after the co-pilot allegedly assaulted the captain as they were preparing for takeoff from the Indian tourist city of Jaipur to New Delhi on Sunday night, the Hindustan Times newspaper said.
The co-pilot was irritated by his superior's request to write down critical information for the flight, such as the number of passengers on board, take-off weight and fuel uptake, the Times Of India reported.
"The co-pilot took offence at this and reportedly beat up the captain," the newspaper said, quoting unnamed sources.
"In the larger interest of the airline the commander decided to go ahead with the flight and flew to Delhi," the daily added.
The airline denies any violence took place, saying there was only a verbal argument between the pair, according to the Press Trust of India.
"There were only heated exchanges between the commander and co-pilot over some issue. We have already derostered the two pilots pending an enquiry," an Air India spokesman told the news agency.
The carrier could not be reached for comment.
It it comes after Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz is believed to have deliberately smashed a plane into the French Alps after locking the captain out of the cockpit, killing all 150 people on board.
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