A British Airways captain was reportedly suspended after breaching in-flight security rules by leaving the cockpit door wide open during a transatlantic flight so his relatives could watch him at
work. According to ‘The Sun’, the incident occurred on a flight from Heathrow to New York, when the pilot—whose family members were travelling in the passenger cabin—allegedly kept the reinforced cockpit door unsecured for a “significant period.”
The measure, introduced after the 9/11 attacks, is considered a critical anti-terror safeguard. Passengers and crew were said to be alarmed by the lapse, with one insider telling the paper: “It made passengers incredibly uneasy. The door was wide open for enough time for people to worry and comment.” Sources claimed the matter was reported to U.S. authorities upon landing, and the captain was immediately grounded. The suspension forced the cancellation of the return flight, BA174 to London, last Friday, leaving hundreds stranded.
The Civil Aviation Authority has launched an urgent investigation. Although colleagues reportedly feared the lapse could have posed a serious risk, the inquiry found no actual security threat. The pilot has since been reinstated. A British Airways spokesperson said: “Safety and security is our top priority.” The incident follows a separate April case in which two passengers were removed from an American Airlines flight after a woman allegedly tried to enter the cockpit to question pilots about a delay, causing the plane to return to the gate. Photo by BriYYZ, Wikimedia commons.
