An Air India pilot is under investigation after allegedly inviting a female friend into the cockpit during a flight. The pilot also requested that the passenger be served food and drinks from business class.

Pilot entertains friend in cockpit

The incident happened onboard an Air India flight from Dubai to Delhi on February 27th. A member of the cabin crew filed a complaint to India's aviation regulator - the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) - detailing the alleged violations of flight deck rules.

As reported in Hindustan Times, the complainant said the captain asked cabin crew members to make the cockpit "appear welcoming, warm and comfortable, as though he was preparing his living room for a lady friend." Prior to this, he had requested that his female friend be upgraded from economy to business class, but there was no availability.

The pilot would then ask the cabin crew to bring pillows and serve the woman snacks and drinks in the cockpit, to which the complainant responded, "Captain, I am not comfortable serving alcohol in the cockpit." After this, the captain "became very snappy and rude" to the cabin crew member, clearly irked that his request was not obeyed, and is alleged to have made sexist remarks to them on the return flight. The female passenger reportedly spent over an hour in the cockpit - sitting in the first observer seat - and was served with business class food and drinks multiple times during this period.

An Air India spokesperson told India Today,

"We have taken serious note of the reported incident and investigations are underway in Air India. We have also reported the matter to the DGCA and are cooperating with their investigations. We have zero tolerance in aspects related to the safety and well-being of our passengers and will take requisite action."

A litany of problems

As a sign of things to come, issues began even before aircraft boarding had taken place. The cabin crew are said to have waited for the pilots on the ground, but they were late for reporting, so crew had to board the aircraft without them - the pilots later boarded the aircraft with the passengers.

The first officer may not escape sanction either - according to the complainant, "the first officer was sleeping reclined fully with a pillow and the pilot in charge was sitting across facing the passenger in the rear observer station to chat." Additionally, both pilots accompanied the female passenger as far as immigration after the flight had landed.

As per DGCA regulations, "an employee of the aircraft operator, who has the permission of the pilot-in-command (PIC) and whose duties are such that his/ her entry into the cockpit is necessary for safe operation of the aircraft, can only be allowed in the cockpit provided they have done the mandatory BA tests." Furthermore, only individuals who have completed a breathalyzer test are allowed into the cockpit, which makes the pilot's request for alcoholic beverages to be served on the flight deck even more shocking.

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Investigation launched

The DGCA has opened an investigation into the matter and Air India is fully cooperating. At this stage, it isn't clear if the pilot has been pulled from his duties, but this seems highly likely if it hasn't happened already.

A DGCA official said,

"The regulator is looking at the technical and safety aspects involved in the matter."

Have you ever heard of things like this happening on commercial flights, whether past or present? Let us know in the comment section.

Source: Hindustan Times, India Today

• 

  Air India

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  AI/AIC

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1946

  Alliance:

  Star Alliance

  CEO:

  Campbell Wilson

  Country:

  India

  Region:

  Asia