A pair of Air France pilots were suspended after the two employees were caught brawling mid-flight in the cockpit during a Paris-bound flight in June, it has been revealed.
The incident is said to have taken place moments after the plane took off from Geneva, with flight staff being forced to intervene after the pilots reportedly grabbed each other by their collars. Although the flight continued without further issues after the scuffle, Swiss outlet La Tribune reported that one crew member spent the duration of the flight inside the cockpit as a precaution.
The BEA has indicated it was not alerted to the June incident because there were no reported consequences for the flight; however, both pilots are presently awaiting a decision from management on the matter.
News of the June cockpit clash emerged after the French aviation agency published a Tuesday report that detailed how various lapses within Air France pointed to a culture of safety mishaps among the airline's pilots, noting pilots lacked rigor.
The report specifically highlighted a December 2020 incident in which pilots chose to reroute their flight after experiencing a fuel leak instead of adhering to safety procedures, which stipulate that either an emergency landing is made, or that power to the affected engine be cut off.
Officials underscored that by not following safety procedures, the affected engine could have caught fire. Three similar cases that took place between 2017 and 2022 were also detailed.
Air France has vowed to follow the BEA's recently-issued safety recommendations, adding it is carrying out a safety audit.