Incident between two pilots on SriLankan Airlines flight investigated
Pilots of a SriLankan Airlines flight from Sydney to Colombo were involved in a tense verbal altercation, with one of them being locked out of the cockpit of an Airbus A330, aviation sources said.
A cabin crew member intervened to defuse the situation and ensure that the copilot could return to the cockpit.
Sri Lankan airlines in a statement on Monday confirmed an incident on UL607, and said the captain has since been grounded.
The flight took off without incident until the female First Officer requested a toilet break. Standard safety procedures require another member of the cabin crew, usually the purser, to enter the cockpit to accompany the pilot flying at the time.
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While the First Officer waiting to enter toilet and before a cabin crew member had entered the cockpit, the captain had closed the door and allegedly refused to reopen it.
Words were exchanged via the communication link between the cockpit and outside, and it reportedly took considerable effort from a crew member to persuade the captain to end the standoff, according to a source familiar with the case.
After the flight landed safely in Colombo, the First Officer lodged a complaint, which has now been referred to the Civil Aviation Authority.
“SriLankan Airlines confirms that an investigation is currently underway in accordance with civil aviation regulations regarding the incident on flight UL 607 from Sydney to Colombo today,” the airline said.
The company indicated that it was “fully cooperating with the relevant authorities, and the captain has been grounded pending the outcome of the investigation.”
The airline stressed that safety and compliance with all regulatory requirements remained its top priority.
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