Italian DJ Olly Esse exposes rude Air India Express staff at Delhi Airport, claims passenger pushed and slapped

Italian DJ and music sensation Olly Esse stirred the pot on social media Monday, calling out Air India Express for what she described as shocking behaviour by staff at Delhi airport.

Olly Esse took to X (formerly Twitter) with a video that has now gone viral. In it, she detailed a chaotic scene at Delhi Airport’s Terminal 1, aisle E. “Dear @AirIndiaX, kindly inform your ground staff that when they are not managing customers properly, at least a sorry would be nice. I pay for a bare minimum of decent behaviour,” she wrote.

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Dear @AirIndiaX kindly inform your ground staff of Delhi T1, aisle E, that when they r not managing the customers properly, at least a sorry would be nice to hear. I pay for a bare minimum of decent behaviour. pic.twitter.com/8dX9gCSJcY

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— Olly Esse (@ollyesse) March 2, 2026

In the clip, she alleged that one female staffer went as far as pushing a traveler and displayed rude behaviour not just toward her but several other passengers. The DJ’s post drew instant attention.

Airline responds with apology

Air India Express didn’t stay silent. Through their official X handle, they issued an apology for “any inconvenience caused” during Esse’s journey. The airline asked her to share booking details and her PNR via DM, promising to investigate and resolve the matter.

“Hi Olly, thank you for reaching out. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused during your journey. We truly appreciate your patience and the opportunity to make this right,” the airline wrote.

Not the first time: A past controversy

Interestingly, this isn’t Olly Esse’s first run-in with Air India staff in India. Back in 2018, the Italian DJ claimed she was manhandled by outsourced staff at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on August 19. The national carrier had denied the allegations at the time.

Airport police inspector M Mahesh at that time confirmed they received a complaint from Esse and booked a case under sections related to voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation of the IPC.

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In the video, Esse also revealed that her Air India flight to Delhi was delayed by nine hours. Frustrated, she approached the airline counter for assistance, but according to her, the staff member at the desk was dismissive.

“The lady at the desk who was supposed to help me was rude. At the end of the story she slapped me. I want to complain to the police, but that was not possible as the guy (police) who should take the complaint was not there. I feel violated,” she said, visibly upset.