Eurowings flights also affected?The fake captain was apparently flying a passenger plane without permission
The allegations were explosive: A pilot was said to have manipulated information about his professional career and flown a passenger plane as the wrong captain. The airline is currently investigating the incident.
Lithuanian airline Avion Express has launched an internal investigation into a man who may have been flying as a captain for the charter airline without sufficient professional qualifications.
“We can confirm that the person is a former pilot who worked for our company,” a company spokesperson told the German Press Agency. Therefore, the Vilnius-based company recently learned of “unverified information about his professional experience.” The industry portal “Aerotelegraph” previously reported this case.
According to its spokesperson, Avion Express is currently unable to confirm or explain any specific details due to the ongoing investigation. At the same time, he emphasized that the recruitment procedures of the Lithuanian wet lease airline, which was established in 2005, comply with all aviation regulations. “Safety and regulatory compliance continue to be our top priority,” he said.
Aerotelegraph previously reported that the man was said to have worked as an Avion Express captain at least last summer without having the necessary qualifications. Therefore, it was said that he previously only sat in the cockpit as a co-pilot and falsified his documents to be allowed to fly as captain of the chartered airline.
Avion Express operates a fleet of aircraft consisting mainly of Airbus A320s, which it leases, including crew, to other airlines using so-called wet lease procedures.
According to the “Aerotelegraph” report, Eurowings is said to be one of its customers. “We have discussed this matter with our security experts for a closer examination. We currently have no further details,” the industry portal quoted a Eurowings spokesperson as saying.
