Remember Catch Me If You Can, when Leonardo DiCaprio – as Frank Abagnale – pretended to be a pilot for the iconic Pan Am? Despite some poetic licenses, that was a true story. Just like the story of a former Garuda Indonesia co-pilot who – in recent news – flew for the Lithuanian airline Avion Express without a valid captain’s license. Ouch. The man, to sum it up, allegedly submitted fake documents and flew as a captain for companies like Eurowings, part of the Lufthansa Group.
Normally, aviation authorities require rigorous requirements in the commercial aviation sector. Yet, a pilot – or rather a co-pilot – went completely unnoticed. Flying over Europe without a valid license. According to the aviation portal aeroTELEGRAPH, the man had worked as a co-pilot for Garuda, the Indonesian flag carrier. But he did not have the required license nor the flying hours to fly as a captain. Last summer, this modern Abagnale was sitting in the cockpit of Avion. As a captain, officially. The man had also worked for European airlines, including the aforementioned Eurowings. Avion Express confirmed the incident to aeroTELEGRAPH, stating that ‘the individual in question was a former pilot who worked for our company.’ Eurowings, on their part, stated that they ‘investigated the matter with our safety experts’ and do not have ‘further details.’
According to Avion, the man had presented fake documents to be recognized as a captain. An internal investigation was ‘immediately launched,’ according to a spokesperson for the airline. The investigation is currently ongoing. The airline emphasized that their hiring procedures comply with current regulations and that safety and compliance remain top priorities.
Avion Express, based in Vilnius, does not operate its own scheduled flights but leases aircraft and crews to other airlines. This service, which also includes maintenance and insurance, is known in the aviation sector as wet lease. The company operates mainly during peak seasonal periods or in case of short-term shortages. Its fleet mainly consists of medium-range aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and A321.
It remains to be seen how the pilot obtained the captain qualification or, more accurately, how he pretended to be a captain. According to aeroTELEGRAPH, the man had previously only worked as a co-pilot. To be hired as a captain by Avion Express, he would have falsified his documents. It is unclear whether the falsification affected his logbook or other qualifications. In any case, it is quite evident that the co-pilot’s professional experience was not adequately verified during the hiring process. It is currently unknown if the fake pilot, during his employment as a captain at Avion, was involved in errors or incidents.
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