Paris 30 Aug : Air France has suspended two pilots following an argument in the cockpit during a flight that took them from Geneva to Paris in June 2022, local press reported.The flag carrier has confirmed that after a dispute between two pilots who were at the helm of an Airbus A320 in June, inappropriate gestures were exchanged, Xinhua news agency quoted French newspaper Le Figaro as saying on Monday.
“The pilots involved are currently banned from flying and waiting for an executive decision, which will decide on the result,” Air France said.
The incident occurred shortly following launch in the climbing phase.
The co-pilot was said to not follow an instruction and both pilots then grabbed each other by the collars as they remained in the cockpit Le Figaro said in its report.
“The incident was quickly resolved without any impact on the flight’s conduct or the security of the plane, which continued as normal,” Air France emphasized.
The French agency responsible for investigating aviation accidents, the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) was able to observe in an earlier report a number of incidents that involved Air France crew where safety rules were not followed.
The BEA requested Air France to prioritize compliance with procedures within its safety culture.
