India's Jet Airways has ordered an investigation into reports that a senior pilot slapped a female co-pilot in the cockpit during a London to Mumbai flight this week.

India's civil aviation ministry has suspended the senior pilot's flying licence, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

The agency quoted an unnamed Jet Airways official as saying the pilot allegedly attacked the co-pilot after an argument with her and she came out of the cabin crying.

A Jet Airways spokesman said in a statement that a "misunderstanding" occurred between the cockpit crew but was quickly resolved and the flight continued without issue.

The statement said the crew has been taken off flying duties.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.