Jet Airways has fired two senior pilots, days after they were grounded over a mid-air fight that broke out between the two.
On January 1, while operating a flight from London to Mumbai, a male commander had allegedly slapped a female commander, when the flight was mid-air. Jet Airways flight 9W 119 was carrying 324 passengers and 14 crew members. While, the flight landed safely in Mumbai, considering the safety issues, the two pilots had been taken off flying duties by the airline, pending investigation, and the matter reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
“Consequent to the review of the events on board Flight 9W 119 London-Mumbai of 1 January, 2018, Jet Airways has terminated services of both the cockpit crew with immediate effect,” the airline said on Tuesday.
The fight reportedly broke out after the flight took-off from London for Mumbai, and the male pilot slapped his female counterpart commanding the plane, following which she left the cockpit. After she refused to get back, reportedly the male pilot, too, had briefly left the cockpit. Later, both of them returned to the cockpit and the flight landed safely.
The DGCA has already suspended the license of the male pilot and civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju told the Lok Sabha last Thursday that action would taken in the matter according to regulations.
A Jet Airways spokesperson had termed the mid-air brawl as a “misunderstanding between the cockpit crew.”
Separately on Monday, a female crew member of the airline had been arrested in New Delhi for allegedly carrying over Rs 3.2 crore worth US dollars.
“During an inspection by the DRI (directorate of revenue intelligence) team on January 08, 2018, a large sum of foreign currency was recovered from an employee of the airline. The employee has been taken into custody. Based on the investigations and inputs from law enforcement agencies, the airline will take further action,” a separate statement from Jet Airways said.
The airline further said that it has a “strict code of conduct and zero tolerance” towards any action of its employees that contravene domestic or international laws in which it operates.
