Flybe Pilot Tells Passengers He is not Qualified to Land Paris Flight

While passengers prepared for landing in Paris, they were stunned to hear their captain tell them that he isn’t qualified to land their flight. The pilot then turned the plane around to return to their departure point.

On Tuesday, passengers told stories of their surprise at hearing their captain give this announcement while they waited 30,000 feet in the air to make a landing in Paris, which was covered with a thick fog. Even though the pilot has 30 years of experience in flying, the murky weather seemed to be past his skill for making a landing.

After the unsettling announcement was made, the pilot turned the aircraft around to make the 300-mile journey back to the Cardiff International Airport. Stunned passengers were told that he didn’t pass his training for low-visibility for that specific plane yet.

One passenger, Cassandra Grant of 29 years, missed an interview due to the turn around. She said that they were around 20 minutes away from landing, and then the pilot said that he was unfortunately not qualified for landing the aircraft at the airport. The airport requested level two qualification for the landing, but he only had level five, she continued, so they had to fly back. Grant added that the experience was amazing, as she had never heard of anything like it.

Fog had begun to move in on the Cardiff International Airport that morning, but luckily all was clear by the time the aircraft returned. Many passengers were disappointed and puzzled about the turn of events, and question of the pilot’s qualifications were an oncoming concern.

A spokesman for the airline stood by the pilot’s decision, saying that he has recently transferred his type-rating and hasn’t completed the requisite training for low-visibility needed in order to complete a landing through the foggy conditions at the airport in Paris. He added that the pilot’s decision was correct, and they stand by it 100%.

Get more information about the airline at: www.flybe.com