British Airways Pilot Suspended For Leaving Cockpit Door Open So His Family Could Watch Him Fly

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A British Airways Boeing 777-236(ER) pinch tail registration number G-VIIF comes successful to onshore astatine Heathrow Airport connected August 10, 2025 successful London, England.

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Being an hose aviator apparently isn't arsenic glamorous a occupation arsenic it utilized to be. One British Airways aviator decided to return matters into his ain hands to show disconnected his occupation to family members erstwhile he chose to alert pinch nan cockpit doorway unfastened during a London-to-New York formation earlier this month. It's safe to opportunity that nan doorway being unlocked and wide unfastened caught nan attraction of passengers and different unit members. The aviator was quickly suspended erstwhile nan level touched down successful nan Big Apple, and nan return formation to Heathrow was canceled.

The incident happened connected August 6 from Heathrow Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport, arguably nan astir prestigious hose way successful nan world. According to Simple Flying, nan Boeing 777's cockpit doorway was unfastened for a important magnitude of clip during nan flight. Despite nan regulations requiring nan doorway to beryllium locked, 1 of nan pilots made an progressive determination to support nan doorway unfastened truthful his family, who were onboard arsenic passengers, could spot him astatine nan controls.

British Airways rescinded nan pilot's suspension

A British Airways rider level passes complete a constabulary car arsenic it comes into onshore astatine Heathrow Airport connected September 13, 2019 successful London, England.

Leon Neal/Getty Images

The pilot's contiguous suspension had a tangible effect connected British Airways passengers trying to get to London. The adjacent day's return formation to Heathrow was canceled. The hose stated that astir of nan passengers arrived astatine Heathrow connected different flights wrong 4 hours of their original presence time. A British Airways spokesperson said, "Safety and information is our apical privilege and allegations of this quality are ever afloat investigated." Despite nan comments from nan British emblem carrier, nan hose lifted nan pilot's suspension aft its investigation recovered nary information risk. The incident shouldn't beryllium taken lightly conscionable because thing went wrong.

In nan expansive strategy of British Airways pilots misbehaving, personification violating post-9/11 information protocol isn't that bad. Another aviator was fired successful 2023 for a chaotic nighttime retired successful Johannesburg, South Africa earlier a formation to Heathrow. The joined man bragged to a formation attendant astir snorting cocaine disconnected a topless woman's chest. The formation attendant understandably told their superiors, who canceled nan formation and suspended nan pilot. The suspension became a termination aft nan aviator was flown backmost to Heathrow and tested affirmative for cocaine. It mightiness not sound sexy, but nan passengers successful nan backmost don't want their aviator doing coke earlier clocking in.

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