A heated argument between an airplane captain and a navigator developed into a fistfight, delaying a domestic flight for four hours, local daily Okaz reported yesterday. It said the incident took place about 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday at Abha airport before the flight No. 1685 took off for Riyadh.
While the 130 passengers were boarding the plane, the newspaper reported, they heard loud voices and a heated argument inside the cockpit. It said the shouting between the captain and one of the navigators turned into a fistfight, after which the captain refused to take off.
The passengers were taken back to the departure lounge, where they had to wait for four hours before being asked to board again for takeoff.
Abha airport sources confirmed the incident, attributing it to personal differences between the captain and a navigator, after which the captain refused to fly. They said an extra flight was prepared and another captain was summoned to fly it.
The sources said the case was being investigated by the security authorities at the airport.
Fistfight in cockpit delays flight from Abha
