JAKARTA, (MILLAT+APP/AFP) – An Indonesian pilot
who stumbled through airport security and repeatedly dropped his belongings before making a slurred announcement to his 154 passengers from the cockpit has been fired, officials said Saturday.
The CEO of budget airline Citilink, a subsidiary of national flag
carrier Garuda Indonesia, had also offered his resignation to take responsibility for the incident.
YouTube footage showed 32-year-old pilot Tekad Purna staggering
through a metal detector at airport security and dropping his bag and belongings several times after arriving late for his flight on Wednesday from the city of Surabaya to the capital Jakarta.
After hearing a garbled and slurred announcement from the cockpit,
scared passengers reported the pilot, accusing him of being drunk or on drugs.
The flight took off later with a new pilot but several of the
passengers decided to cancel.
“The result of the investigation so far is sufficient for our
management to take a firm decision and fire the pilot,” Citilink spokesman Benny Siga Butarbutar told AFP Saturday.
“In the aviation industry, we believe in zero mistakes.”
The airline had yet to establish if the pilot was under the influence
of drink or drugs but Citilink said his conduct was serious enough to merit
dismissal on the grounds of endangering passenger safety.
During a press conference late Friday announcing the pilot’s
dismissal, Citilink CEO Albert Burhan also tendered his resignation.