Pilot jailed

Craig Butfoy, of Matfield, Ken ( England) made false claims to get and retain work with British Airways subsidiary BA CityFlyer – based at London City Airport – and Stobart Air, between April 2016 and March 2018.

Butfoy was handed a 12-month prison sentence at Snaresbrook Crown Court, east London last week.

He entered false details and altered entries in his flight logbook so it appeared he was more experienced than he was.  Whilst Butfoy had a full pilot’s licence and clearly passed the normal checks some serious discrepancies were picked up.

Jonathan Spence, General Counsel at the CAA, said: “The Civil Aviation Authority’s prosecution and the sentence imposed show that offences of this kind are taken very seriously by the Civil Aviation Authority and the courts.

“Pilot integrity is at the heart of aviation safety and we will take all steps necessary to maintain that position”.

Details outlined in court papers included an allegation Butfoy falsely claimed to have flown 1,610 hours as a captain in a job application submitted to BA CityFlyer.  He was also accused of giving false details on his CV, including that he had held a private pilot’s licence since 1998, and fabricated documents, including a training course certificate.

British Airways said in a statement: ‘The safety of our customers and crew is always our priority, and the fully-qualified pilot was suspended and an investigation launched as soon as BA CityFlyer became aware of discrepancies in his employment record.

“At no point was there any risk to customers or colleagues”.

www.ba.com

www.caa.co.uk

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