Jet Airways grounds two senior pilots for fighting in cockpit of London-Mumbai Flight, orders probe

Jet Airways grounded two pilots after they reportedly fought in the cockpit during a London-Mumbai flight on 1 January, according to several media reports. According to a report in  The Times of India, the captain of 9W 119 flight from London to Mumbai allegedly slapped his lady co-pilot. The co-pilot left the cockpit in tears,  returning only when the frightened crew persuaded her to safely operate the flight to its destination, the report added. [caption id=“attachment_3886561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The incident took place on Monday, when the aircraft was in over the Iran-Pakistan airspace, and was 2.45 hours away from its destination, an airline source told PTI on Wednesday. However, the source alleged that the male pilot who has been working with the airline for over a decade had some “argument” with the female commander over some issues. The source said these two senior pilots have been flying together for many years and have had arguments in the past as well. But that on the Monday flight, arguments turned violent and he slapped her The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) later de-rostered the pilots, and ordered an internal investigation, Hindustan Times reported. DGCA chief BS Bhullar termed the incident as a “serious issue”, added that they have suspended the co-pilot’s license, Financial Express reported. The airline confirmed the incident, saying the matter was resolved amicably later, DNA reported. “At Jet Airways, safety of guests, crew and assets is of paramount importance and the airline has zero tolerance for any action of its employees that compromises safety”, the airline said in a press statement, DNA reported. The flight was carrying 324 passengers, including two infants, according to News18. With inputs from PTI