Holi festivities result in grounding of 2 SpiceJet pilots; de-rostered for coffee cup on centre console

Delhi: SpiceJet has derostered two of their pilots for celebrating Holi irresponsibly while operating a flight.

The pilots of SpiceJet's Delhi-Guwhati flight were having gujiyas [a sweet made during the Holi festival] and had a cup of coffee on the flight deck's centre console where a minor spillage could have affected safety, a Times of India report read.

Incident happened last Wednesday, photo went viral on Tuesday this week

Reportedly, the incident happened on last Wednesday and the photo of them eating gujiya went viral. Following this, the civic aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Tuesday asked the airline to identify the crew members and initiate action.

According to the TOI report, in compliance to the directive, the airline de-rostered the pilots.

SpiceJet in their statement said that pending inquiry, both pilots have been off rostered and that they have a strict policy for consumption of food inside the cockpit which is adhered by all flight crew and appropriate action will be taken.

Senior pilots say having beverage there could

Senior pilots said that keeping a beverage on the console could have proven dangerous. Even a minor spillage could have triggered short circuit, they said.

A senior pilot said that the the coffee cup was put on aircraft's fuel levers in the middle of centre console and that below the same is engine and auxiliary power unit's fire control switches. The expert added even a little spillage could have triggered a short circuit and a false fire warning.

Another senior captain echoing similar thoughts said that it was not the place to keep anything, especially the liquids which are a disaster since they could cause short circuit and loss of control

The central pedastel the two pilots has the main computer interface, important flight controls, engine control and all communication systems. “This is not a place to keep anything. Liquids are a disaster here and can cause a short circuit and loss of control or communication.