New York, May 1 (PTI): A Delta Airlines pilot slapped a woman who was fighting with a fellow passenger as he tried to break up a fight between them in the aircraft, according to a media report.

The incident happened on April 21 when passengers were deboarding a flight in Atlanta in the US and two women got in a physical altercation.

A nearly 30-second recording shows one woman throw a piece of clothing at another woman at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, New York Daily reported.

The women begin shoving each other, knocking bystanders out of the way - almost toppling a woman in a wheelchair.

The two begin to roll on the ground of the jetway and pull each other's hair before the pilot intervenes, striking one woman in the face then walking away, the report said.

A Delta employee handed over the recording to a supervisor later.

The airline suspended the pilot as soon as it found out about the video. He returned to work after investigators found "his actions deescalated an altercation," a Delta spokesman said.