Jet Airways has sacked two senior pilots commanding a London-Mumbai flight with 324 people on board for fighting mid-air and walking out of the cockpit, PTI reported on Tuesday.
The incident took place on January 1 when a senior pilot allegedly slapped a female commander during the flight. After the female pilot walked out of the cockpit, the cabin crew tried to comfort her. At the same time, the male pilot walked out of the cockpit too, leaving it unmanned for sometime. The airline had grounded both pilots following the incident.
A Jet Airways spokesperson confirmed the development on Tuesday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has suspended the flying licence of the male pilot, PTI reported.
“As per rules, one pilot can leave the cockpit as long as another is there,” an unidentified DGCA official told The Times of India. “She left when one pilot was still on the controls.”
The official added: “While the investigation will examine her role as well, prima facie the co-pilot’s hitting the commander and then leaving the cockpit to bring her back in – leaving the cockpit unmanned – led us to suspend his flying licence immediately.”
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