Suspended pilots didn’t fly planes, Jet tells Delhi HC

New Delhi: Jet Airways on Tuesday denied in the Delhi high court that two of its pilots, suspended by the aviation regulator for allowing unauthorised entry into the cockpit during a flight, had undertaken flight duties during the period of suspension.

The airline also told a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar that the period of suspension of the two pilots is over now.

The submissions were made during the brief hearing of a plea alleging that Jet Airways had cleared the two suspended pilots for flight duties in contravention of the order of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The court listed the matter for further hearing on May 22.

A journalist, Rajneesh Kapur, has made the claims in his application and alleged that one of the pilots had also undertaken a flight during the period of his suspension.

The plea, filed through advocate Nikhil Borwankar, has also questioned the appointment of the VP (Operations), alleging that his nomination to the post had not been confirmed by the DGCA.

It has also alleged that the senior VP (Operations), a foreign national, was appointed to the post without security clearance and it was he who had nominated the VP (Operations).

The application was filed in Mr Kapur's plea in which he has alleged Jet Airways was flouting national and international flight safety regulations by allowing unauthorised persons to travel overseas "masquerading" as crew on a "general declaration".

The plea claimed that the general declaration, which is a declaration of the passengers, air crew and cargo, being ferried on an international flight by the flight operator, allowed people "to avoid obtaining a visa and pass undetected into foreign territory".

In support of his allegation, he cited a January 2018 incident in which a cabin crew member was arrested by the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for possessing contraband foreign currency worth more than Rs 3 crore.