Jet Airways Suspends Two Senior Pilots After Male Commander ‘Slaps’ his Female Co-Pilot
This entire fiasco took place when the aircraft was over the Iran-Pakistan airspace and was still 2.45 hours away from its destination.
India-international airlines, Jet Airways lands in controversy early into the year. Two of its senior pilots were suspended for an ugly mid-air altercation on a London-Mumbai flight on January 1. According to reports, the male commander slapped his female co-pilot, leaving her in tears. Few reports suggest them to be a couple. At one point during their argument, both the pilots left the cockpit unmanned, which is a grave violation of air safety laws. Jet Airways reported the matter to DGCA and has de-rostered both pilots till the enquiry is underway.
The incident took place on flight 9W119, a Boeing 777 that had 324 passengers and 14 crew members onboard. A Jet Airways spokesperson reported the matter because of a ‘misunderstanding’ and that it was ‘quickly resolved amicably’. However, an airline source told PTI the male pilot had some “argument” with the female commander.
He has been with Jet Airways for over a decade and flying with the same lady co-pilot for many years. According to the source, the two have had a history of feuds, but their arguments escalated on New Year’s Eve. The female co-pilot came out of the cockpit crying after being allegedly slapped. The crew members persuaded her to go back to the cabin. But after some time, she again ditched the cockpit, leaving the cabin crew tensed who requested her to complete the flight.
During the first time, the male commander followed the lady pilot outside the cockpit and convinced her to return to the cabin. Despite being senior pilots, the two left the cockpit empty for a brief time risking the lives of flyers on board. This entire fiasco took place when the aircraft was over the Iran-Pakistan airspace and was still 2.45 hours away from its destination.
The complete statement released by Jet Airways, their spokesperson was quoted saying, "A misunderstanding occurred between the cockpit crew of Jet Airways flight 9W 119, London - Mumbai on January 01, 2018. However, the same was quickly resolved amicably and the flight with 324 guests including 2 infants and 14 crew continued its journey to Mumbai, landing safely. The airline has reported the incident to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the concerned crew have been de-rostered pending an internal investigation that has since been initiated. At Jet Airways, the safety of guests, crew and assets is of paramount importance and the airline has zero tolerance for any action of its employees that compromises safety."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 04, 2018 08:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).