Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jan 18: A Turkish pilot who was to command the SpiceJet flight from here to Dubai was found to be heavily intoxicated. As a result, the flight with 180 passengers on board, which was to depart at midnight, was put off for about five hours. This incident is not only strange, but also reflects the callous attitude of the staff manning the aircraft, taking into account the fact that it could have jeopardized the lives of its passengers.

SpiceJet has been operating flights between the city and Dubai since about a year. The aircraft is leased from Corendon Airlines in Turkey through an agreement. All the people manning this aircraft are from Turkey. Sources said that the pilot, who was caught for consuming excessive quantities of liquor, has set up her residence in the city. Sources said that she will not be allowed to operate any flights till investigation is conducted into the incident and a final decision is taken.

The current incident follows several unwanted incidents that have happened in the international airport during the past some months. The flight took off with five hours delay after an alternative pilot was arranged.

The flight was to leave here at 12.40 am on Wednesday. As many as 180 passengers of the flight had completed check-in formalities and were awaiting the call to board the aircraft. Other staff including those in charge of the runway were waiting for the aircraft to get clearance and airborne.

As usual, the pilot was subjected to medical examination two hours before the passengers were to board the plane. The medical officers found that the pilot was intoxicated and had no control over herself. The airport staff immediately cancelled the departure timing of the flight and took steps to move against the drunk female pilot, who is 35-year-old. The passengers were officially informed that the departure was delayed on account of technical snag, and the flight finally left at 6 am with the help of substitute pilot.

But the staff at the airport got scent of the problem. The people at the airport were compelled to spend the night without sleep because of the goof-up of the pilot. If the medical officers had not detected that the pilot was drunk, the flight would have faced grave danger. The passengers, who were inconvenienced because of the pilot's carelessness, however heaved a sigh of relief after coming to know about the problem, and thanking God for saving their lives.