Kuwait Airways pilot loses flying licence after letting ex-porn star visit the cockpit
The allegations seem more like the tawdry plot of an adult film than an actual security breach on a passenger jet flying at 10,000 metres.
Chloe Mafia, a former porn star, claimed that a married pilot of a Kuwait Airways flight from London to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport invited her and a friend into the cockpit for champagne and a ride on his lap as he smoked, let them play with aircraft controls and boasted about being a member of the “mile-high club,” according to British tabloid reports in July.
Kuwait's al-Jarida daily reported Sunday that the Persian Gulf country's transportation minister announced the punishment in the findings of an investigation into the incident that was submitted to parliament. The co-pilot received a demotion, but the rest of the crew was unaware of the incident at the time and did not face disciplinary action, the newspaper said.
The incident, which occurred two years ago, highlights an especially troubling safety violation. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, passengers have been barred from entering the cockpit.
It also reveals apparently bizarre behaviour by the Kuwait Airways aviator. According to British media reports based on Mafia’s comments and video footage of the incident, the pilot serenaded the women with such songs as Hakuna Matata from the movie The Lion King.
The reports also said that he smoked about 40 cigarettes during the incident and bragged to Mafia about having sexual relations with flight attendants.
Mafia - who was forced off a British reality television show over allegations of cocaine use and prostitution - was pictured next to the controls of the aircraft in an apparent selfie.
“I pushed something. I don't know what it did, but he said it was fine as the plane flew itself,” Mafia was quoted by the Daily Star as saying.
