An airline pilot in Indonesia has been terminated after he came under suspicion of trying to fly a commercial airliner while likely under the influence of alcohol.
In interesting video that has ended up making the rounds online, Citilink pilot Tekad Purnawas stumbles through Juanda International Airport in Surabaya on Wednesday. Three security personnel tried to help Purnawas by picking up things he dropped after going through the metal detectors.
Passengers aboard the plane were confused by what he said due to his slurred speech. One person even took a video.
Citilink President Director Albert Burhan told the press, “Citilink is very serious about handling this matter.”
Citilink is a subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia, and the company said the pilot indeed appeared “physically unfit”. Days after the videos hit the web, two top executives at Citilink announced their resignation as an act of responsibility for the fiasco. Burhan announced his resignation on Friday.
The resignations signify a hit to Citilink’s reputation in Indonesia and may even hamper the company’s plans to expand in 2017.