Cape Verde: EasyJet pilot suspended after 'stripping naked' in front of guests at hotel bar in luxury five-star resort
An EasyJet pilot has been suspended after he was reportedly seen roaming a luxury hotel drunk and naked.
The unnamed pilot was witnessed walking through common areas of a five-star resort in Cape Verde without any clothes on in the early hours of the morning on 5 August, after an extended drinking session in a bar, according to the Sun. He was due to operate a return flight to Gatwick more than 36 hours later, but was grounded after the budget airline received complaints about the incident and a replacement pilot found.
An EasyJet spokesman told the BBC the pilot now faces an investigation and that the safety of passengers and crew was its "highest priority". The captain arrived at the Melia Dunas Beach Resort and Spa in the West African island nation on 4 August and proceeded to begin drinking, the Sun reports.
At around 02:30 local time (04:30 BST) the following morning, hotel guests reportedly saw him strip off and wander into the reception, before moving onto the gym and spa, according to the newspaper. He was scheduled to helm the 2,332-nautical-mile (4,318km) trip back to Gatwick on the afternoon of 6 August, but was removed from the flight.
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An EasyJet spokesman said: "As soon as we were made aware, the pilot was immediately stood down from duty, in line with our procedures, pending an investigation. The safety of our passengers and crew is EasyJet's highest priority."
The airline's code of business ethics states that staff must behave "with integrity when dealing with our people, our customers, our partners and the communities within which we operate".