A co-pilot is under investigation after allegedly forging documents to secure a captain position with Lithuanian carrier Avion Express and flying commercial routes across Europe without the required qualifications, according to German aviation outlet Aero Telegraph.
The pilot, whose identity has not been disclosed, previously worked only as a co-pilot for Garuda Indonesia. Despite lacking the certifications needed to command a commercial aircraft, he allegedly presented falsified paperwork to Avion Express, a wet-lease operator that provides aircraft and full crews to other airlines.
Avion Express confirmed it employed the pilot and has since removed him.
“The company recently became aware of unverified information regarding his professional experience. An internal investigation was immediately launched and is currently ongoing,” a spokesperson told Aero Telegraph. The airline said its hiring procedures comply with aviation regulations and emphasized that safety remains its “highest priority.”
Because Avion Express supplies crews to other airlines, the alleged impostor also operated flights for several Western European carriers, including Germany-based Eurowings.
Eurowings said it has opened its own review of the pilot’s background and is “taking up the matter with our safety experts for a more detailed examination.”
It remains unclear how long the pilot flew with the forged credentials or how he was eventually detected.
Avion Express, founded in 2005 and part of the Ireland-based Avia Solutions Group, operates a fleet of 55 Airbus A320-family aircraft, which can carry as many as 180 passengers each. The company provides charter and wet-lease services throughout Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
The allegations have raised concerns about potential gaps in cross-border vetting processes within the aviation industry, where contracting arrangements often involve multiple airlines, regulators, and jurisdictions.
The case echoes past incidents involving forged airline credentials, though typically among would-be passengers or cabin crew. Notorious con artist Frank Abagnale famously posed as a Pan Am pilot in the 1960s to score free flights, but never attempted to sit in the cockpit.
More recently, a Florida man was convicted in June of using dozens of fake flight-attendant IDs to fraudulently book more than 100 free airline trips over six years.
But forging documents to serve as captain of a commercial aircraft — responsible for hundreds of lives per flight — is considered an extraordinary breach.
Regulatory authorities in Europe are expected to review how the pilot was able to pass through vetting systems undetected.
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One Response
“Notorious con artist Frank Abagnale famously posed as a Pan Am pilot in the 1960s to score free flights, but never attempted to sit in the cockpit.“
That’s what came to mind when I was reading the article
But hey, over here there was no harm done