A senior British Airways pilot has been accused of sexually assaulting a female flight attendant during a Far East layover, according to local media reports, which claim the serious incident happened during a “boozy” night out with all the crew.
British Airways operates several flights to the Far East, although it doesn’t have as many destinations in the region post-pandemic. The airline currently flies to Singapore and has recently restarted commercial passenger flights to Hong Kong.
The veteran pilot was reportedly questioned by police, as well as a team of BA’s own security experts who were deployed to the destination after the cabin crew member reported the allegation.
The airline is said to be taking the allegations so seriously that managers immediately stood down the entire team of pilots and cabin crew who were working with the victim and accused and found an entirely new replacement crew.
British Airways managed to get the crew to the destination with enough time to operate the return flight home and with passengers none the wiser.
The airline initially attempted to keep last week’s incident under wraps, but the allegations were eventually leaked to the Sun, which reported that the victim and pilot were flown home on separate flights.
Last month, an expat British businessman living in Barbados was charged with seriously sexually assaulting a female member of BA cabin crew who had met up with the suspect during a luxury layover on the island.
British Airways has not commented on the latest incident, and a spokesperson was instead quoted as saying: “As there is an ongoing police investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment.”
