Flight delayed by 11 hours after pilot loses passport

Passengers stranded in Vietnam overnight

T'way Air is investigating the incident (Flickr/Masakatsu Ukon)

A flight from Vietnam was delayed by 11 hours after the pilot lost his passport.

T’way Air flight TW122 was due to depart Ho Chi Minh City for Incheon in Seoul at 10.35pm on Friday, but the pilot’s mistake meant he couldn’t gain access to the airport.

The 160 passengers due to fly had to wait for a replacement pilot to be found, which wasn’t possible until the following day. The flight finally took off at 9.40am on Saturday.

The airline booked travellers into hotels and provided breakfast in the interim.

“We are currently reviewing a disciplinary action for the pilot. We are also negotiating compensation measures with the passengers,” a T’way spokesperson told The Korea Times.

The airline is also investigating exactly how the pilot mislaid his travel documents.

It follows a holidaymaker stepping up to fill in for a pilot so his easyJet flight to Alicante could take off on time.

Michael Bradley, who happened to be an easyJet pilot himself, offered to fly the plane to avoid a delay of several hours.

An announcement he made over the tannoy before the flight took off from Manchester airport was filmed and shared on social media by one of the passengers.

“My wife who’s on row 15 with my little boy – hopefully he’s asleep by now, I should keep it down or else I’ll get told off – she rolled over and punched me in the back of the head and said ‘our flight’s delayed by two hours because they are minus one captain for the flight’.

“So just before we went through security I thought, I wonder if this is worth a phone call. I think it is because I’d like to go on holiday.”

Mr Bradley said the airline took him up on his generous offer, saying, “Please, please, pretty please with a big cherry on top, can you fly the aeroplane to Alicante?”

Minus his uniform, Mr Bradley finished by saying: “So if you’re alright for one of your pilots to look like this today, we’ll go to Alicante.”

The announcement was greeted with cheers from those onboard.