SpiceJet sacks two pilots for fudging hours

NEW DELHI: After the sacking of four pilots of Air India, IndiGo and MDLR, two cockpit crew of SpiceJet have lost their job for fudging the flying hours to obtain commercial pilot licence. The low-cost carrier terminated the services of Captain Anuj Kumar and First Officer Amit Mundra on Friday after their names appeared in the investigations into the fake flying licence issue. Following investigations, the no-frill carrier has terminated the services of the two pilots with immediate effect, a SpiceJet spokesperson said.

"The pilots have been accused of misrepresenting their flying hours in order to obtain their licence from the regulator, DGCA," the spokesperson said, adding that the airline would always comply with all rules and regulations governing the aviation sector and was committed to provide safe and secure travel. The fake pilot licence issue has assumed a worrying proportion after Parminder Kaur Gulati - a commander with IndiGo was found faking her marksheet to obtain Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL), which allows a pilot to become the commander of an aircraft.