Married pilot gets suspended after ‘drunkenly assaulting 3 female crew members’

British Airways has suspended one of its pilots, over allegations that he drunkenly assaulted three female crew members during a night out between flights from Johannesburg, South Africa.

The pilot, a married man in his 50s, was said to have flown into a rage after engaging in a heated argument with his 25-year-old lover, who had accompanied him on Flight BA057 from Heathrow on a discounted ticket.

Following the altercation with his young lover, the pilot allegedly confronted three colleagues—a cabin manager, a first-class stewardess, and an in-flight lead—in the crew hotel bar.

The heated fight led to the intervenation of security staff at the Marriott Hotel who had to escort him to his room as he was reportedly too intoxicated to stand.

The situation worsened after the crew refused to operate the return flight if the pilot was in the cockpit, prompting British Airways to fly him back to the UK as a passenger on a different flight.

The pilot, a father of two, has been suspended pending further investigation. BA bosses are said to be increasingly concerned about unruly behaviour among their crew between flights.

The airline has not yet issued a formal statement regarding the incident, but internal inquiries are ongoing.