Air India pilot's fight with ground engineer delays Chennai's Paris flight

Air India said one of its flights was delayed Saturday after a pilot allegedly assaulted a ground engineer on board an aircraft as he prepared to take off for Paris from the southern Indian city of Chennai.

Air India ordered an inquiry into the incident, which delayed the flight by an hour with 122 passengers on board, said airline spokesman GP Rao.

The flight departed after another pilot replaced the one involved in the incident, Rao said, adding that it was not immediately known what triggered the clash.

The Press Trust of India news agency said the engineer, who was in the aircraft for a routine check, suffered a minor chin injury.