NEW DELHI: Jet Airways today denied in the Delhi High Court that two of its pilots, suspended by the aviation regulator for allowing unauthorised entry into the cockpit during a flight, had undertaken flight duties during the period of suspension.
The airline also told a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar that the period of suspension of the two pilots is over now.
The submissions were made during the brief hearing of a plea alleging that Jet Airways had cleared the two suspended pilots for flight duties in contravention of the order of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The court listed the matter for further hearing on May 22.
A journalist, Rajneesh Kapur, has made the claims in his application and alleged that one of the pilots had also undertaken a flight during the period of his suspension.
The plea, filed through advocate Nikhil Borwankar, has also questioned the appointment of the VP (Operations), alleging that his nomination to the post had not been confirmed by the DGCA.
It has also alleged that the Senior Vice President of Operations, a foreign national, was appointed to the post without any security clearance and it was he who had nominated the VP (Operations).
The application was filed in Kapur's main petition in which he has alleged that Jet Airways was flouting national and international flight safety regulations by allowing unauthorised persons to travel overseas by "masquerading" as crew on a "general declaration".
The petition has claimed that the general declaration, which is a declaration of the passengers, aircrew and cargo, being ferried on an international flight by the flight operator, allowed people "to avoid obtaining a visa and pass undetected into foreign territory".
In support of his allegation, the petitioner has cited a January 2018 incident in which a Jet Airways cabin crew member was arrested by the Department of Revenue Intelligence for possessing contraband foreign currency worth over Rs three crore.