Scandal in European aviation: an unlicensed pilot flew passenger aircraft for several years

Photo: Aero Telegraph

For several years, Avion Express employed a pilot who had no captain’s license. He operated passenger flights, and the violation surfaced only after an investigation by Aero Telegraph. The airline is now trying to understand how a person with unverified qualifications could have been hired.

How a first officer became a captain

The pilot, identified as L.A.B., completed only first-officer training and previously flew in that role at Garuda Indonesia. He never obtained a captain’s license, yet he was hired by the Lithuanian carrier Avion Express as a commander using forged documents. He worked in this capacity for several years, including on flights the company operated for European airlines — among them Eurowings (Germany).

Corriere reports that the pilot is a Spanish citizen and had an official qualification to operate Airbus A320 aircraft — narrow-body jets typically used on short and medium-haul routes. In the résumé he submitted, he claimed more than 10,000 flight hours over 20 years. In Europe, 1,500 hours are enough to obtain a captain’s position.

According to Corriere’s sources, he worked at Avion Express for about three years. Industry specialists note that having a license is only one part of the requirements for an aircraft commander: a captain is responsible for flight safety, makes key operational decisions, leads the crew, and must be ready to act in non-standard situations. Avion Express says the investigation is underway across several jurisdictions. All materials related to the pilot’s experience are being reviewed, and the company states it is ready to refer the case to law enforcement if necessary.

Other cases: from the Netherlands to South Africa

Similar situations occasionally arise in different parts of the world. One of the most well-known cases involves Swedish pilot Thomas Salme, who spent about 13 years flying passenger aircraft in Europe without a valid captain’s license. In 2010, the 41-year-old pilot was detained at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, and the case went to court. Prosecutors sought a suspended prison sentence, but Salme received only a €2,000 fine. The incident was considered unprecedented in the Netherlands, and even the prosecution noted that during his long career he had not been involved in a single incident.

In South Africa, William Chandler spent nearly two decades working for South African Airways, but an internal review revealed that his qualifications did not meet the requirements for a captain on international routes. The issue surfaced after an incident over Switzerland, after which he left the company.

In Pakistan, in 2020 the authorities conducted a large-scale review of pilot licenses. Hundreds of pilots were temporarily grounded due to document irregularities, and national carrier Pakistan International Airlines was banned from flying to the EU and the UK until reforms and safety controls were strengthened.