New Delhi:
His selfies - posted in the cockpit of the plane he was meant to fly - made front page news, but a Jet Airways pilot may face no stricter action than a reprimand.
Captain Sahil Arora, in his early 20s, posted a series of photos on Facebook - some of them include other crew members. Media reports on the trigger-happy pilot prompted civil aviation regulator DGCA to summon him for an explanation for the "photoshoot."
That session is scheduled for today, but Captain Arora has in the meantime deleted the photos.
Jet Airways has issued a statement clarifying that the plane was on the ground when the pictures were taken. "While the photograph does not constitute a violation or breach of any safety standard or aviation regulation, an internal inquiry is being conducted to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the photograph and the pilot will not be utilised for flying duties pending completion of the inquiry," the statement said.
Sources say that if the photos were taken after the aircraft was prepared for flight (that is, just before passengers were allowed on board), the pilot could be suspended from flying for several days.