The DGCA is conducting an inquiry after a complaint was filed against an Air India pilot for allegedly inviting a woman friend into the cockpit.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India’s aviation regulator, ordered a probe into a complaint that an Air India pilot allegedly allowed a female friend to enter the cockpit during a Delhi-Dubai flight. On Friday, a crew member, the pilot, his co-pilot, along with the passenger on board the flight on the eventful day, appeared before the DGCA.
This came after the aforesaid crew member had complained in late March that the commander of the flight had entertained a lady friend in the cockpit of the aircraft, in violation of laid-down rules.
WHAT HAPPENED?
In a complaint initially sent to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson and the airline’s head of flight safety on March 3, the cabin crew member wrote she felt shocked at the “threatening” and “aggressive” nature of the flight commander since the incident took place.
The incident took place on board flight AI915 Delhi-Dubai flight on February 27. The complainant alleged that the pilot-in-command flouted guidelines to have a female passenger, who he said was a friend, escorted into the cockpit from the economy class.
At first instance, the crew member in question raised the concern that this would be a violation of DGCA rules because the passenger had not undergone a breath analyser test. Prior to this, the captain of the flight had also sought to upgrade his friend from economy to business class, but was told by the cabin supervisor that business class was full.
The complainant said, “He said the cockpit should appear welcoming, warm and comfortable as though he was preparing his living room for a lady friend.”
In addition, the pilot asked for his friend to be served snacks and alcohol in the cockpit. To this, the complainant objected and said she was not comfortable serving alcohol in the cockpit. This allegedly changed the captain’s entire attitude and he was rude with the said crew member henceforth on the flight, the crew member said.
The lady passenger, as per the report lodged, spent close to an hour in the cockpit, where she was served business-class food and snacks, on the pilot-in-command’s orders. The former’s presence in the cockpit for such a long time was reportedly noticed by another passenger in the first row of the flight who enquired if she was a pilot or a passenger.
The crew member who lodged a complaint said she noticed that when she went to the cockpit, the co-pilot or the First Officer was fully reclined and asleep with pillow, while the captain was turned around facing the rear observer station, chatting with his lady friend.