INDIA’S aviation regulator has suspended the flying licence of a senior Jet Airways pilot following an incident on its London- Mumbai flight on January 1.
Two senior pilots were grounded by Jet Airways after reports of an assault on that flight.
The pilot’s flying licence has been suspended pending investigation, a senior official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
Besides allegedly physically assaulting the woman commander, the pilot also left the cockpit unattended twice, in violation of safety norms, leading to the suspension of his licence, according to the official.
The aircraft was in the Iran-Pakistan airspace and was 2.45 hours away from its destination when the incident took place, an airline source said.
A Jet Airways spokesperson said there was a “misunderstanding” between the cockpit crew and the same was “resolved amicably” and “quickly”.
“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 spokesperson said.
The airline has reported the matter to the DGCA and the pilots involved in the incident have been taken off duty pending investigation, the spokesperson added.
