© AFP
–
A Virgin Atlantic airliner had to return to Heathrow, UK, shortly after takeoff on Monday after it turned out that the pilot had not completed his last flight test.
–
Bron: The Guardian
Yesterday at 15:39–
The Airbus A330 had been in the air for nearly 40 minutes and was en route to New York last Monday when the pilots on board realized the copilot was not meeting Virgin Atlantic requirements.
The man in question was fully in order with his papers under British aviation regulations, but he had not completed a final flight test. And according to Virgin Atlantic’s internal regulations, this is necessary. An additional problem was that the captain on board is officially not allowed to give training and the pilots were therefore not in order.
They only found out in the cockpit when the plane was already hovering over Ireland. The only option was to return. An hour and a half after takeoff, the plane was back on the ground in London. A replacement was sought and the aircraft was able to take off again.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “Due to a schedule error, flight VS3 from London Heathrow to New York-JFK returned to Heathrow on Monday, May 2, shortly after takeoff. The qualified co-pilot, who flew alongside an experienced captain, was replaced by a new pilot to ensure full compliance with Virgin Atlantic’s training protocols, which exceed industry standards. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers who arrived two hours and 40 minutes later than scheduled due to the crew change.”
(sgg)
—
