NEWS | Wednesday, 28 January 2009

PRINT THIS ARTICLE

Julia Farrugia
Air Malta has launched an investigation into an alleged incident on one of its flights earlier this month.
Brian Damms, a 65-year-old British tourist, told the Daily Mirror that an Air Malta pilot breached anti-terror rules when allowing a teenage niece in the cockpit.
Damms was reported as saying: “It was amazing. The pilot ushered her in to sit with him before take-off and seemed totally oblivious to the rules. We heard him explaining to crew members what was going on, but everyone found it very uncomfortable,” claimed the tourist.
Brian Damms, who was returning from Malta to Heathrow on Air Malta flight KM100, insisted: “I was nervous because I knew the rules had been breached.”
The Mirror carried out comments of the British Department of Transport, which stated that in UK airspace no one is allowed in the cockpit without a “justifiable operational need.”
To date Air Malta has kept mum on this case and no official press statement was released to local media.
Answering questions put by Mirror journalists, Air Malta said it had ordered an investigation into the alleged incident. A spokesman was quoted as saying that the pilot insisted his niece left the cockpit as soon as the plane entered UK airspace. “The cockpit door policy was observed. One passenger who was personally known to the captain was allowed to visit the cockpit over French airspace.”
This claim is however rebutted by Brian Damms. “I watched her leave the cockpit on touchdown at Heathrow. She was there the whole time.”

PRINT THIS ARTICLE

Any comments?
If you wish your comments to be published in our Letters pages please click button below.
Please write a contact number and a postal address where you may be contacted.