Furious passenger jet captain ‘locks his female co-pilot out of the cockpit after flying into a rage when she went for a toilet break mid flight’

An irate airline captain is said to have locked his female co-pilot out of the cockpit after she decided to take a toilet break mid-flight.

The captain of SriLankan Airlines allegedly locked out the first officer during a 10-hour flight from Sydney to Colombo on Monday and has been grounded ever since.

According to local reports, the co-pilot found herself locked out of the cockpit after excusing herself to use the bathroom, leaving the pilot alone for a brief moment.

The pilot had become irate over her failure to arrange for her replacement in the cockpit in accordance with standard operating procedures, leading to a tense standoff between the two mid-flight.

Following the pilot’s insignificant response, a senior flight attendant had to intervene and negotiate with the captain over the aircraft’s intercom system before finally allowing his co-pilot back into the cockpit.

The pair reportedly became involved in a verbal altercation before the first officer left the cockpit because she failed to ensure a cabin crew member was in the cockpit while she was in the bathroom.

Although regulations vary by airline, SriLankan Airlines requires at least two people to sit in the cockpit at the same time.

Many airlines and aviation authorities have rules that require at least two qualified crew members to be present in the cockpit at all times during a flight.

This rule was strengthened after incidents where lone pilots took control of the cockpit, leading to safety concerns.

In a statement, the airline confirmed it had grounded the captain involved in the incident on board flight UL607 from Sydney to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on September 21.

As many as 297 passengers could have been on board the Airbus A330-300 at the time of the incident.

“The airline is cooperating fully with the relevant authorities and the captain has been placed under house arrest pending the outcome of the investigation,” the statement said.

“Safety and compliance with all regulatory requirements remain SriLankan Airlines’ top priorities.”

In 2015, all 144 passengers and six crew members were killed on a Germanwings Flight 9525 after the pilot locked himself in the cockpit and deliberately crashed the plane.

Among the dead were sixteen German schoolchildren and an opera singer traveling with her baby.

Former US President Barack Obama also expressed his condolences at the time over the “terrible” crash, which he called “particularly heartbreaking” because so many of the passengers on the plane were young.

The incident has led several airlines to tighten the rules regarding cockpit occupancy.

And in 2022, two Air-France pilots were suspended after a physical altercation in the cockpit.

The cabin crew were forced to break up the brawl, with one pilot remaining in the cockpit for 75 minutes of the journey.