Swiss Airline crew members land themselves in trouble for taking photos on plane’s wing
They were taking photos and striking poses - on a wing of a Boeing 777 aircraft in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Now, at least two crew members of Swiss International Air Lines have landed themselves in trouble and are under investigation, according to media reports.
A female flight attendant is seen dancing and posing for a photo on the wing, according to a viral video which began circulating earlier this month. The flight attendant left the aircraft by an overwing emergency exit, reported the New York Post on Aug 25.
A man, who is reportedly a senior cabin chief, later joined the flight attendant and began striking bodybuilding poses.
In the video, two ground crew members can be seen posing in front of the aircraft engine, as another ground crew member takes photos of them. The video appears to be taken at an airport terminal.
The incident took place just before the flight departed on Aug 16, said American news outlet Insider on Aug 26. No passengers were on the plane when the crew embarked on their stunt, said the news report.
A representative for the airline strongly criticised the cabin crew’s antics and said that their behaviour would not be tolerated.
“What looks like fun in the video is actually life-threatening,” said Swiss International Air Lines spokesman Michael Pelzer in a statement to Insider.
“The wings of a Boeing 777 are at a height of about 5m. Moreover, after landing, even in high temperatures, the wings may be covered with ice. A fall from that height onto the hard surface can be devastating.”
The airline has been in contact with the flight attendants in question, said Mr Pelzer.
He also said that the airline crew should only set foot on a plane’s wing in the event of a dire emergency, such as evacuations, reported the New York Post.
Mr Martin Knuchel, the airline’s vice-president and head of cabin crew, criticised the behaviour of its staff.
However, the company would not just jump to sack the crew members, said Mr Knuchel in a report by the Daily Mail on Aug 26.
“Hey guys, I’ll be honest. I’m angry and disappointed,” he said.
“What if the passengers no longer trust us when they see this video? This has to stop, there must be no more videos likes this.”
Some unnamed crew members, said they disapproved of their colleagues’ actions in a New York Post report.
“I thought... Is that real?” said an unnamed 33-year-old crew member.
“In addition to the fact that it is of course extremely dangerous, it is simply unprofessional.”
The incident comes shortly after some passengers behaved inappropriately on flights and add to the challenges faced by flight attendants.
For example, in July, Ms Tiffany Gomas, had to disembark from an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Orlando after she accused another passenger of stealing her AirPods. A video of the 38-year-old marketing executive began circulating online after she accused another passenger of not being real on the plane. She has since apologised for her behaviour.
This is also not the first time that a person was seen standing on a plane wing inappropriately.
In 2020, Ukraine International Airlines banned a woman from future flights after she opened a plane’s emergency exit and climbed onto its wing.
When the aircraft landed in Kyiv, Ukraine, the woman stepped onto the wing as she complained that she was feeling “too hot”.
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