By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A captain working with EasyJet has been slammed with suspension after report emerged that he was seen roaming a luxury hotel in Cape Verde, drunk and naked, media report says.
According to the Sun newspaper, the pilot whose identity was concealed was sighted walking through common areas of a five-star resort in Cape Verde without any clothes on in the early hours of the morning on 5 August.
This reportedly happened after an extended drinking session in a bar, the Sun stated in its report. .
He was due to fly a return flight to Gatwick barely 36 hours later, but was dropped after the airline received complaints about the incident. He was immediately replaced by another captain.
A BBC report quoted an EasyJet spokesman as saying that the pilot is now facing investigation, noting that the safety of passengers and crew was its “highest priority”.
The captain arrived at the Melia Dunas Beach Resort and Spa in the West African island nation on 4 August and proceeded to begin drinking, the Sun reports.
At around 02:30 local time the following morning, hotel guests reportedly saw him strip off and wander into the reception, before moving on to the gym and spa, according to the newspaper.
“The pilot did not have a stitch on and reeked of alcohol,” an anonymous source inside the airline was quoted by the paper as saying.
“Anyone who saw the pilot cavorting naked in the early hours on the day before a flight would not dream of getting on a plane with him at the controls.”
An EasyJet spokesman said: “As soon as we were made aware, the pilot was immediately stood down from duty, in line with our procedures, pending an investigation.
“The safety of our passengers and crew is EasyJet’s highest priority.”
