The two suspended pilots fought in the cockpit of a flight between Geneva and Paris in June, according to information provided to the paper. The flight was able to continue without being affected by the fight and the plane landed safely.
The newspaper writes that cabin crew intervened in the fight, and one person remained in the cockpit with the pilots for the rest of the flight.
The incident was highlighted in a report by France’s aviation safety authority (BEA). According to the report, some of Air France’s pilots do not fully follow safety protocols.
The report also mentions a case from 2020, when there was a fuel leak on a plane that was on its way from Congo-Brazzaville’s capital to Paris. The pilots diverted the plane but did not land as soon as possible, which according to the procedures they have to do.
Three similar events between 2017 and 2022 are highlighted in the report.
Air France states that the company will carry out a safety review and promises to follow the recommendations raised by the BEA, including making the training manual stricter about adhering to the procedures.
However, the company notes that it has thousands of flights daily and that the report mentions only a few incidents. The Air France pilots union insists that safety is paramount for all pilots.