Air Canada pilots warned over pornographic material hidden in flight deck

Explicit material was found on board its Embraer fleet

Heather Saul
Friday 03 October 2014 07:26 BST
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Air Canada officials have been forced to warn its staff not to stash sexually explicit material in the flight deck of its Embraer fleet
Air Canada officials have been forced to warn its staff not to stash sexually explicit material in the flight deck of its Embraer fleet

Air Canada officials have been forced to warn its staff not to stash sexually explicit material in the flight deck of its Embraer fleet, a leaked bulletin sent to staff has revealed.

The internal message from Rod Graham, Air Canada’s chief pilot and director of fleet operations and training, said “inappropriate material” had “once again” been discovered on a company aircraft.

CBC News obtained the message as part of an on-going investigation and published it in full on their news site.

The email, sent September 2013 but only recently published, said those placing material in flight decks will be subject to discipline “to the full extent of the law and our corporate policies”.

This could include having their contract terminated or facing criminal charges, it added.

The bulletin was reportedly sent four months after a similar message was issued and six years after a female pilot said pornography had been displayed, glued and tucked in a variety of areas in the cockpit on Air Canada’s Embraer fleet of planes.

Her complaint was investigated by the airline, who found “evidence of racial or ethnic prejudice as well as sexual materials in the work place,” CBC News reports.

Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesperson for Air Canada, said it is aware of concerns about “inappropriate materials” discovered on the flight deck of some aircraft. He said one formal complaint had been filed.

Mr Fitzpatrick said in a statement: “The material in question consisted almost entirely of inappropriate business cards and was confined mainly to one aircraft type and route, our Embraer E-90s operating to Las Vegas.

“Air Canada has a strict zero tolerance policy to protect its employees against harassment of any kind, including inappropriate materials that may offend co-workers.

“Air Canada took immediate corrective action to adapt its pilot training accordingly and regularly reminds employees that such materials are not tolerated in the workplace.

"No additional materials of this nature have been reported since February 2014."

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