Jet Airways pilot who slapped woman commander on London-Mumbai flight may lose flying licence

A Jet Airways co-pilot who had allegedly slapped his female commander inside the cockpit of a London-Mumbai flight could lose his flying licence, according to reports. [caption id=“attachment_3916429” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The co-pilot’s licence was earlier suspended by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Its chief BS Bhullar had ordered an internal investigation and termed the incident as a “serious issue,” The Financial Express reported. A top official told The Times of India that the alleged action of the co-pilot called for “extreme measures”, which is a euphemism for cancellation of licence. A DGCA official also said that both the pilots were out of the cockpit a couple of times and this is unheard of. Action is only being taken against the co-pilot and not his commander, according to another DGCA official quoted in The Times of India report,  because it is alleged that the lady commander left after being slapped. However, the investigation will examine her role as well. Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday that a probe has been ordered into the incident. He also said that action will be taken according to regulations and that “no one will be spared”. The incident took place on 1 January, when the aircraft was over the Iran-Pakistan airspace, and was 2.45 hours away from its destination, an airline source told PTI. The source also 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 and they have had arguments in the past as well. But on this flight, arguments turned violent and he slapped her, the source said. A DNA report put out the official statement of the airline which said, “a misunderstanding occurred between the cockpit crew of Jet Airways flight 9W 119, London - Mumbai of 1 January, 2018. However, the same was quickly resolved amicably and the flight with 324 guests including two infants and 14 crew members continued its journey to Mumbai, landing safely.” With inputs from agencies