Aviation
Two Air France pilots broke into a fistfight inside cockpit midair, suspended
The pilots were suspended following a fistfight in the cockpit on a flight from Geneva to Paris.
Two Air France pilots got into a quarrel in the cockpit while over Africa, which led to crew members intervening, one attendant flying in the cockpit to get the other pilots to stop, and the pilots getting into mischief. After the event was reported in June 2022, both of the Air France pilots came under examination, leading French investigators to suspend the pilots until the investigation was complete.
The aeroplane, according to aviation authorities, was not hampered by the altercation, and it landed safely. According to a Air France spokesman, the pilots were suspended following a fistfight in the cockpit on a flight from Geneva to Paris.
The co-pilot and pilot got into an argument 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 crew stepped in and spent the duration of the flight in the cockpit with the pilots.
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. After France’s aviation investigation agency, BEA, published a study claiming that some Air France pilots lack rigour in following protocol during safety problems, news of the fight emerged.
It stated that some pilots are operating in accordance with their own situational analysis rather than safety procedures and cited three instances between 2017 and 2022 that were comparable. In response, Air France stated that a safety audit is being conducted. It committed to implementing the BEA’s suggestions, which include letting pilots review their flights later and tightening up the rules for following procedure in training manuals.
The airline pointed out that although it operates thousands of flights every day, only four such safety events are included in the study. The unions representing Air France pilots have emphasised that safety is everyone’s top priority and supported pilot responses to emergencies.
