'Gujiya, beverage in cockpit': SpiceJet pilots grounded for celebrating Holi while flying

SpiceJet has penalised two pilots for jeopardising flight safety by keeping gujiyas and beverage they were eating on a critical console in the cockpit.

The airline has now grounded these pilots for risking the lives of the flyers onboard the Delhi-Guwahati SpiceJet flight. The incident took place on the day of Holi celebrated across the nation on March 8, Wednesday.

"Both pilots have been off rostered pending an inquiry. SpiceJet has a strict policy for consumption of food inside the cockpit which is adhered by all flight crew. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken upon completion of the investigation," a SpiceJet spokesperson said.

A photo of the celebration is now going viral on social media with users calling the act extremely "unprofessional".

"Appalling & extremely unprofessional behaviour by @flyspicejet pilots. If the liquid (resting on the fuel cutoff levers) spills, it can short circuit the electronics affecting a range of systems and compromise the aircraft’s ability to fly safely," a user wrote.

"Even horoscope can't save you if there is an emergency," said another sharing the image.

A few days back, passengers and crew on a SpiceJet flight destined for Patna got into a heated altercation. The flight was delayed owing to an operational issue. A passenger on the Delhi-Patna aircraft (8721) said that the scheduled departure time was 7.20 am from Terminal 3 of the airport, but the flight finally took off at around 10.10 am.

The passenger said that the airline staff had initially stated that the aircraft was delayed due to inclement weather but then cited technical concerns as the cause of the delay.

Several people were furious and engaged in heated discussions with airline personnel at the airport due to the delayed departure.

Also Read: WATCH: Air India passengers corner staff after Delhi-Mumbai flight gets delayed for over 4 hrs 

Also Read: SpiceJet staff, passengers get into verbal fight over flight delay at Delhi airport

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