Probe ordered into mid-air brawl of Jet Airways pilots: Civil Aviation minister

A day after aviation regulator DGCA suspended the flying licence of a senior Jet Airways pilot for fighting with his co-pilot in the cockpit of a London-Mumbai flight on January 1, a probe has been ordered into the incident, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Raju was responding to the issue raised by Kirit Somaiya (BJP) during the Zero Hour. The minister said a probe into the incident has been ordered and time-bound action would be taken.

BJP’s Somaiya alleged that the incident had put the lives of hundreds of passengers at risk and sought action against the airlines and the two pilots. He claimed that both the pilots had come out of the cockpit which was a violation of rules. He also objected to the reported statement of the airlines that the incident was the result of a misunderstanding. Also Read: Jet Airways pilot ‘slaps’ female colleague mid-air, DGCA suspends his licence

Jet Airways grounded two of its senior pilots following the mid-air brawl on a London-Mumbai flight on January 1, in which the male commander allegedly slapped his female counterpart. The pilot’s licence was suspended for violating  the safety norms and leaving the cockpit unattended. The fight happened when the aircraft was in the Iran-Pakistan airspace and was 2.45 hours away from its destination.

A Jet Airways spokesperson, however, dimissed the fight as a “misunderstanding” between the crew. “A misunderstanding occurred between the cockpit crew of 9W119 London-Mumbai flight on January 1. However, the same was quickly resolved amicably and the flight with 324 guests including two infants and 14 crew members completed its journey in Mumbai safely,” the airline spokesperson said.

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