Aviation is one of the most regulated industries in the world. After questions were raised about the experience of one former Avion Express captain, investigations were launched in several countries. The airline emphasizes that what is being questioned is the pilot’s experience as a captain, not the pilot’s license itself:
“Every pilot who wants to start flying for an airline must submit all the necessary documents and go through a clearly regulated process established by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This process was strictly followed when the pilot in question was onboarded to fly for Avion Express. It is important to emphasize that in this situation, the issue is not about the pilot’s license, but about his promotion to the position of captain. The pilot applied as a Captain with a fully valid pilot’s license and was not promoted to Captain within Avion Express,” says company representative Rolanda Lipnevičiūtė.
Aviation experts explain that a pilot begins their career with an airline as a first officer. Only after accumulating a specified number of flight hours can they apply for the position of captain. Such promotions are granted by airlines themselves, after assessing the required number of flight hours and completing internal promotion procedures. The minimum number of flight hours required by EASA for a pilot to become a captain is 1,500 hours, and Avion Express has more than doubled this requirement. When he started flying for Avion Express, the pilot in question had significantly more experience, over 10,000 flight hours, and twenty years in aviation. The authenticity of the pilot’s license is not in question, as it was verified by the national authorities.
“Upon receiving non-verified information that some of the pilot’s declared experience, relating to flights specifically as a captain, may have been inaccurate, the airline immediately launched an internal investigation and suspended all of the pilot’s flights. As soon as the investigation began, the mentioned person resigned. Until then, there had been no complaints about the pilot’s performance or questions about safety,” adds R. Lipnevičiūtė.
The ongoing investigation aims to determine whether the documents confirming the pilot’s experience, relating to flights specifically as a captain, are accurate. Aviation regulatory authorities from several countries are involved in the process, and only authorized experts can assess the authenticity of the additional documents under investigation.
Media contact:
Rolanda Lipneviciute
Head of Marketing and Communications
Avion Express
