Two Jet Airways pilots have been grounded after an altercation mid-flight.
The incident happened on a London-Mumbai flight carrying 324 people when a female pilot left the cockpit in tears alleging she was slapped by her male colleague.
While she was being comforted by cabin crew the senior pilot even left the cockpit unmanned to coax her back in, according to a source cited by the Economic Times.
"After a while, the commander came out of the cockpit, leaving it unmanned and the plane on autopilot, which is a major safety hazard," it reported.
"However, they had a fight for the second time following which she came out again. This time, the cabin crew was quite afraid of the fight happening in the cockpit. They requested her to go to the cockpit and fly the plane safely to its destination," another unnamed source told the Times of India.
An airline spokesperson described it as a ‘misunderstanding’ which was ‘quickly resolved amicably.’
"The airline has reported the incident to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the concerned crew have been de-rostered pending an internal investigation," the airline said.
DGCA chief BS Bhullar called it a ‘serious issue’ which will be fully investigated.
