A pilot barricaded himself in a cockpit at Mexico City airport, refusing to take off in a protest over five months of unpaid salary and expenses.
MEXICO CITY: A pilot staged a dramatic protest by refusing to take off and barricading himself in the cockpit of a commercial aircraft on Friday.
Local media reported the action was a protest over unpaid wages, with the pilot claiming he was owed five months of salary and travel expenses.
“This plane isn’t leaving until they pay us what they owe us,” the pilot told passengers, according to a video cited by outlets including Reforma newspaper.
The video, which spread on social media, could not be independently verified by AFP.
Addressing dozens of passengers onboard the flight scheduled for Cancun, the pilot expressed regret for the disruption.
“I feel bad for you, because you don’t deserve this,” he said in the video.
He added that he had worked for the airline for nearly three years and had never before failed to complete a flight.
The pilot also stated he was the father of three children.
Mexico City’s Benito Juarez International Airport officials posted on X that civil aviation authorities were investigating an “incident”.
The event occurred around 3:00 pm local time on a scheduled flight to the Caribbean resort city.
According to Mexican media reports, the captain was subsequently detained by authorities.
Passengers were evacuated from the aircraft following the protest.
