The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has suspended the flying licence of two Jet Airways pilots for attempting to take off an aircraft from a taxiway parallel to the runway at Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia last week.
As many as 148 people on board the Mumbai-bound Jet Airways flight escaped unhurt after the aircraft went off the runway following an aborted take-off from there on 3rd of August.
An official of the aviation regulator DGCA had said that the pilots aborted the take off after they were informed about a “barrier” on the runway. The aircraft was taxing at 100 knots. It veered off the runway due to sudden stopping.
Shortly after the Saudi AIB released its fresh findings, the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation suspended the licences of the two pilots manning the Jet Airways flight. “DGCA has suspended licences of both the pilots involved in runway excursion incident at Riyadh pending investigation,” the aviation body said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia’s Aviation Investigation Bureau, however, has faulted Jet Airways for the incident. The agency, in a new statement released today, said that initial probe confirmed that the Jet Airways flight had attempted taking off on a taxiway running parallel to the runway.
