Easyjet pilots grounded for cockpit dance at 30,000ft
EASYJET has suspended two pilots after one was filmed dancing in a passenger plane at 30,000ft.
Neither of the pilots were looking at the controls or at the path of the plane as they fooled around on social media.
Captain Michel Castellucci used the Snapchat app to post a video of his copilot dancing with an animated owl, while they were in charge of the cockpit controls, carrying holidaymakers on their way from Paris to Madrid on Wednesday. Mr Castellucci captioned the video, posted to his Instagram account “pilot_flyingnut”, “Dancing first officer in cruise doing paperwork.”
The captain then posted a selfie on Instagram, asking his followers if they wanted “more”, describing himself and his colleague as “#Teamflyingnut”.
The joke film was viewed more than 6,000 times before the social media account was deleted.
A worried viewer said: “It’s dangerous, unprofessional, and sends out the wrong image.”
According to The Sun, the pilots were flying an Airbus A320 aircraft. A spokesman for the airline said: “Whilst at no point was the safety of the passengers compromised, this falls short of the high standards easyjet expect of its pilots. We will speak to the pilots involved.”
The company later said that the pair had been suspended in line with the airline’s disciplinary procedures, pending the outcome of the investigation.