DGCA suspends licence of 2 Jet Airways pilots

Mumbai: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has suspended the flying licence of two Jet Airways pilots for attempting to take off an aircraft from a taxiway parallel to the runway at Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia last week.

As many as 148 people on board the Mumbai-bound Jet Airways flight escaped unhurt after the aircraft went off the runway following an aborted take off from there on August 3, the airline had said.

An official of the aviation regulator DGCA had said that the pilots aborted the take off after they were informed about a "barrier" on the runway.

The aircraft was taxing at 100 knots. It veered off the runway due to sudden stopping, the official had said.

"The DGCA has suspended the flying licence of both the pilots involved in runway excursion incident at Riyadh, pending investigation," a senior DGCA official said on Monday.