Posted inTransport

Emirates pilots quit over emergency landing in Oz

Two pilots “submit their resignations” in aftermath of Melbourne tail-strike incident.

The pilots who manned the Emirates A340-500 aircraft that had to make an emergency landing in Melbourne last month have “submitted their resignations”, it was reported on Monday.

The EK407 flight, carrying 255 passengers, struck its tail on the runway tarmac during take-off in Melbourne on March 20 and had to land again – no-one was hurt during the incident.

Emirates Airlines launched an investigation into the incident immediately after the event, added a report on the resignations in UAE daily Gulf News.

The pilots’ resignations are the first outfall of the event, but Emirates Airlines declined to say whether the two pilots had been asked to quit, and refused to disclose their identities.

An Emirates spokeswoman said the airline could not provide any additional details until the full inquiry had been completed.

“Emirates cannot comment on the investigation as it is still under way. However we can confirm that the pilots have submitted their resignations,” she said.

Emirates sent a high-level team of officials from its flight safety and operations department to assist in the Australian investigation into the incident.

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