SriLankan Airlines: Captain locks female co-pilot out of cockpit mid-air after she took a toilet break
A furious pilot reportedly locked his female co-pilot out of the cockpit after she decided to take a toilet break mid-flight.
The SriLankan Airlines captain allegedly locked out the First Officer during a 10-hour flight from Sydney to Colombo on Monday (14 October). According to local reports, the co-pilot found herself unable to access the cockpit after excusing herself to use the bathroom, leaving the pilot alone for a brief moment.
The plane has since been grounded. The pilot had become enraged as she had not arranged for her substitute in the cockpit in line with standard operating procedures, leading to a tense standoff between the two mid-flight.
Following the pilot's petty reaction, a senior flight attendant had to intervene and negotiate with the captain over the plane's interphone system before he eventually allowed his co-pilot back into the cockpit. The pair had allegedly been embroiled in a verbal altercation prior to the First Officer leaving the cockpit because she hadn't arranged for a member of cabin crew to sit in the flight deck while she was in the bathroom.
Although regulations differ from airline to airline, SriLankan Airlines requires at least two people to be in the cockpit at any one time. This rule was reinforced after incidents where lone pilots were left in control of the cockpit, leading to safety concerns.
In a statement, the airline confirmed that it had grounded the Captain involved in the incident aboard flight UL607 from Sydney to the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. The airline said: “The airline is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities, and the captain has been grounded pending the outcome of the investigation. Safety and compliance with all regulatory requirements remain SriLankan Airlines' top priorities.”