A private airline in India punished two of its pilots for having open cups of tea and sweets in the cockpit in mid-flight. It was announced that the plane was traveling at 37 thousand feet when the photo was taken.
The incident happened after a photo of a cup and dessert placed on the control panel of a SpiceJet plane went viral.
Reports revealed that the plane was cruising at 37,000 feet when the photo was taken.
[su_posts posts_per_page=”1″ tax_term=”27764″ offset=”1″ order=”desc” orderby=”id” post_status=”any” ignore_sticky_posts=”yes”]
Following reactions to the photo, India’s aviation regulator issued a warning to the airline.
SpiceJet said it is looking into the matter and the two pilots who allegedly took the picture have been placed on leave.
“Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against them after completion of the investigation,” an airline spokesperson told The Times of India newspaper.
Aviation expert Mohan Ranganathan, who first shared the picture on Twitter, said, “Even a small amount of coffee spilled on the electronics will disrupt the systems. This is a criminal act,” he said.
Indian aviation rules allow pilots and crew to have food and drink in the cockpit, but only under strict rules.
For example, all cups must have lids and be carried on a tray to prevent spills.
