Tata Group-owned Air India has asked its cabin crew to adhere to the standards of ethics and warned of disciplinary action in case their conduct directly impacts the airline's image, according to a source.

In a communication to its cabin crew members on Monday, the airline's in-flight safety department has instructed them "not to indulge in any of the act which is against the TCOC (Tata Code of Conduct)".

The communication was issued against the backdrop of a recent incident where a wide-body aircraft pilot allegedly was caught with two iPhone14 at the Delhi Airport and was subsequently asked to pay Rs 2.5 lakh towards (Customs) duty, the source in the know said.

There was no immediate comment from Air India on the issue.

"We are in receipt of feedback that some cabin crew are carrying items in commercial quantity on their return to India from a foreign country, which is against the customs regulation," the airline said in the communication.

Noting that crew members are ambassadors of an airline, it said, "they must adhere to the standards of ethics and follow TCOC as their conduct directly impacts the image of the airline".

Removing items from aircraft or any other company's premises or affiliated premises without written permission is "violation of TCOC," it added.

According to the communication, there are security checks that have been planned on arrivals across the network to stop this "malpractice".

"You all are hereby instructed not to indulge in any of the act which is against TCOC... Any violation to above will lead to strict disciplinary action," Air India said.

Tata Group's TCOC is a comprehensive document that provides ethical guidelines for the group's companies and employees.

In May last year, Air India announced implementation of the TCOC for its employees.

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