An unqualified captain allegedly flew passenger jets across Europe for months after forging certificates to fake his qualifications.
The alleged fraudster is said to have piloted planes with hundreds of passengers on board for the Lithuanian airline Avion Express.
According to the Aero Telegraph, the air carrier has confirmed this.
The man is only a co-pilot and reportedly obtained his position as captain using forged certificates.
He previously flew as a first officer for the Indonesian airline Garuda, according to reports.
The con man’s employer, Avion Express, is a so-called wet-lease airline that specializes in providing aircraft with full crews to other airlines (including LOT, easyJet, and Sun Express).
According to the company, it has a fleet of over 50 aircraft, primarily A320s and A321s, flying to destinations worldwide.
A Eurowings spokeswoman told BILD: ‘The investigation into the case is the responsibility of Avion Express and is not yet complete – we are currently waiting for the facts to be clarified.’
An unqualified captain allegedly flew passenger jets across Europe for months after forging certificates to fake his qualifications (stock image)
The Lithuanian airline is now investigating the pilot.
A spokeswoman for Avion Express told Aero Telegraph: ‘The company recently became aware of unverified information regarding his professional experience.
‘An internal investigation was immediately launched and is currently ongoing.’
The airline also emphasized that its recruitment procedures comply with all aviation regulations.
‘Safety and compliance remain our top priorities,’ it added.
Avion Express has not yet provided any further details.
It comes after last year an Alaska Airlines flight was forced to divert after a red-faced pilot admitted he was ‘not qualified’ to land.
Flight 3491, operating under Alaska’s partner SkyWest, took off from San Francisco bound for Jackson Hole, Wyoming on August 8, 2024.
But before he could make his descent, the pilot announced he would need to divert to Salt Lake City, Utah, ‘due to me not having the proper qualifications’ according to passengers on the plane.
Tracking data from FlightAware shows the aircraft heading to Jackson Hole, before circling a few times and jetting off to Salt Lake City 290 miles away.
Jackson Hole Airport is a notoriously tricky airport to land at due to its mountainous elevation, short runway and wind shear conditions which all mean it has extra requirements for pilots.
Some pilots may only have the clearance to land in ceiling and visibility unlimited conditions, known as CAVU.
Following the embarrassing admission, the pilot reportedly did a ‘walk of shame’ off the plane to collect his bag from the back of the aircraft, Cowboy State Daily reported.