Two Air France pilots suspended for mid-air brawl in cockpit

Paris: Two Air France pilots were suspended after fighting in the cockpit on a Geneva-Paris flight in June, New York Post reported citing an airline official on Sunday.

Citing a Switzerland media outled La Tribune, the New York Post stated that the pilot and co-pilot had a dispute shortly after takeoff, and grabbed each other by their collars after one apparently hit the other.

Cabin crew was forced to intervene, and one member stayed in the cockpit to babysit the pair for the remainder of the approximately one hour and 15 minute flight to the French capital, the report said further.

However, the mid-air brawl didn’t affect the rest of the flight, and the plane landed safely, according to an airline representative.

The suspension comes amid heightened scrutiny of the Paris-based carrier, over safety concerns, as per New York Post.

Last week, the France’s air investigation agency, BEA has released a report which concluded that the airline’s pilots have fostered a culture of not following safety procedures.

The report cited by New York Post, centered on a December 2020 flight from Brazzaville, in the Republic of Congo, to Paris, when the crew rerouted the plane to Chad and landed after discovering a fuel leak, but didn’t cut the engine or land as soon as possible, per leak safety procedures, which could have resulted in the engine catching fire.

Furthermore, the report cited three similar cases between 2017 and 2022, noting that pilots seem to be acting based on what they think is the best versus established safety protocols.