Two Air France pilots suspended after mid-flight fight in cockpit; Twitterati react

New Delhi

Fighting in the cockpit, flying over Africa with a leaking engine running—Air France pilots are under investigation following recent incidents that have prompted French authorities to demand for stricter safety procedures.

Following a physical altercation in the cockpit on a flight from Geneva to Paris in June, two Air France pilots were suspended, an Air France spokesperson revealed on Sunday. The official emphasised the airline's dedication to safety and stated that the flight continued and landed safely with no impact from the incident on the remainder of the voyage.

The co-pilot and pilot got into a fight immediately after takeoff, according to Switzerland's La Tribune, and grabbed each other by the collars after one of them appeared to have hit the other. A member of the cabin staff stepped in and spent the whole of the flight in the cockpit with the pilots, according to the report.

News of the altercation spread after France's BEA, which conducts aviation investigations, published a report on Wednesday alleging that certain Air France pilots lack rigor in following protocol in the event of a safety incident.

It was centered on a fuel leak that occurred on an Air France flight in December 2020 from Brazzaville, in the Republic of Congo, to Paris when pilots redirected the aircraft but did not cut power to the engine or land the aircraft as quickly as feasible, as the leak procedure required. Despite the BEA report's warning that the engine might have caught fire, the plane made a safe landing in Chad.

It stated that some pilots are acting based on their own analysis of the circumstance rather than following safety rules and highlighted three instances between 2017 and 2022 that were comparable.

In response, Air France stated that it is conducting a safety audit. It vowed to abide by the BEA's recommendations, which include enabling pilots to review their flights afterwards and tightening up the instruction manuals' adherence requirements.

The airline pointed out that although it operates thousands of flights every day, only four such safety events are included in the study.

Also read | US suspends 26 Chinese flights in tit-for-tat move over Covid cases action

The unions representing Air France pilots have emphasised that safety is everyone's top priority and supported pilot responses to emergencies.

The BEA also looked into an incident that occurred in April involving an Air France flight out of JFK in New York that experienced issues with flight control as it approached its landing in Paris.

(With inputs from agencies)

Also WATCH | All eyes on NASA's moon rocket launch; Artemis 1 mission to launch on an uncrewed test flight