E-Paper
DGCA suspends licence of pilot who made airhostess sit in cockpit
As per air safety rules of the DGCA, no other person is allowed entry into the cockpit other than the DGCA officials or persons nominated by it.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended the licence of a SpiceJet commander who was sacked for allegedly allowing an airhostess sit in the cockpit during a Bangkok-Kolkata flight.
The aviation regulator has also placed under suspension the cabin crew member, who spent a “considerable time” with the Pilot-in-Command (PIC) in the cockpit, a senior DGCA official said on Saturday.
SpiceJet has already terminated the services of the commander, who besides locking himself up with the airhostess in the cockpit had allegedly forced the co-pilot to sit out during the flight to Bangkok from Kolkata and back, after the flight’s chief airhostess filed a complaints in this regard with the airline.
“We have suspended the flying licence of the pilot, pending investigation. We have also suspended the airhostess who was manning one of the right rear doors of the aircraft and sat with the commander in the cockpit for a good amount of time,” the official said.
The orders in this regard have already been issued on Friday, the official added.
The DGCA action against the commander restricts him from flying temporarily.
As per air safety rules of the DGCA, no other person is allowed entry into the cockpit other than the DGCA officials or persons nominated by it.
The services of the commander were terminated for violating DGCA safety norms after following due process, SpiceJet had said earlier.
