On a recent SriLankan Airlines flight between Sydney and Colombo, the pilot in charge has breached protocol by locking his co-pilot out of the cockpit. The airline has now decided to ground the pilot while investigating the matter.
The incident happened when the female co-pilot left the cockpit during the 10-hour flight to take a toilet break. Allegedly, she didn’t arrange for a substitute in the cockpit as stated by the standard operating procedures, which led to tensions between the two. When the co-pilot had left the cockpit, the pilot thus decided to lock her out.
During the time when the pilot locked his co-pilot out of the cockpit, he was left alone in the room, which represented a breach of safety protocol. Just like many other airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines demands two qualified crew members to be present in the cockpit at all times during a flight in order to prevent issues. As no third relief pilot was present, a flight attendant should have been in the cockpit while the copilot was on a toilet break.
Only after an unknown amount of time could a senior crew member intervene by using a communication link and end the lock-out. While the plane was able to finish its flight and land in Colombo as foreseen safely, the airline decided to ground the pilot because of his breach of protocol.
“Sri Lankan Airlines confirms that an investigation is currently underway in accordance with civil aviation regulations regarding the incident on flight UL 607 from Sydney to Colombo on 21st September 2024. The airline is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities, and the captain has been grounded pending the outcome of the investigation. Safety and compliance with all regulatory requirements remain Sri Lankan Airlines’ top priorities, SriLankan Airlines commented in a statement.
The reason many airlines have decided to be stricter regarding who is present in the cockpit over recent years is largely due to the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525. In 2015, 144 passengers and 6 crew members died after the pilot, who was suffering from mental health issues, locked himself in the cockpit in order to crash the plane deliberately.
