Jet airways mid-flight scare: Airline cautions pilots to stick to ATC norms, says report

Jet Airways Mumbai-London flight carrying 330 passengers and 15 crew members, went off the radar for a brief period. (Representational image).

A week after reports emerged that a Jet Airways Mumbai-London flight, carrying 330 passengers and 15 crew members, went off the radar for a brief period over Cologne, the airlines has reportedly sent a mail to its pilots reminding them of the radio communication guidelines. According to a report published by Times of India, the mail says, “Radio communication is a critical link in the pilot – ATC (air traffic control) communication system. However, it can be broken with surprising speed and disastrous results.” The Indian Express could not independently verify the same. As per the report, the mail also lists out a list of vital dos for the pilots as  “mandatory compliance”.

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Jet Airways flight, 9A-118, last week, went off the radar and was reportedly out of contact for 15 minutes, causing a mid-flight scare. After repeated efforts to get in touch with the plane, the German Air Force had sent out two Eurofighter Typhoons planes to intercept the flight. But by the time the fighter jets took off, the contact was restored, the officials said. The reason behind the incident is still under investigation, however a recent report said one of the pilot was taking “controlled rest”, while another was on the wrong frequency.

“This issue is being probed by the airline and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. At this stage we will not be able to say anything else,” a Jet Airways official was quoted as saying by Times of India.