Two Air France pilots, flying a passenger A320, did not share something during the flight. Misunderstanding escalated into a skirmish and “inappropriate gestures” that were caught on camera. The plane was flying from Geneva to Paris.
The spat occurred in June 2022, as a result of which both pilots were suspended from work. According to the airline, “the incident was quickly resolved and did not affect the safety of the flight, which continued as usual. The pilots are now awaiting a management decision on their future fate.
Although the incident took place two months ago, it has only now become public, thanks to an article published last week in the French-language business newspaper La Tribune. It argues that Air France allegedly has more serious structural problems.
French government agency overseeing the aviation industry —
Civil Aviation Safety Investigation and Analysis Bureau &mdash ; stated that it had “issued a safety advisory regarding compliance with specific procedures.”
But this document was not a response to the June cockpit incident. The recommendation was likely made after an Air France A330 en route from Congo's capital Brazzaville to Paris on 31 December 2021 suffered a fuel leak and was diverted to land in Chad.
In the report The BEA says that the pilots failed to follow the necessary procedures in case of a fuel leak, did not turn off the damaged engine to eliminate the risk of fire, which led to “a significant decrease in the level of safety, since the fire was accidentally avoided.”
According to the BEA, this is not an isolated case of crews failing to follow certain procedures for various reasons.
Earlier this year, an Air France aircraft bound for Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport encountered technical landing problems. The Boeing 777 en route from New York landed successfully and no passengers or crew members were injured. Air France stated that its pilots responded adequately to the situation by making a circle and making a second landing attempt.
Air France, founded in 1933 — the country's national carrier.