PLANE passengers were stunned when they realised a sozzled guest who stripped off at a five-star hotel bar was their pilot.
The boozed captain was seen stumbling around naked in the resort at 2.30am after a marathon drinking session.
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He had been due to fly holidaymakers back to the UK the following day — but was grounded by his bosses at EasyJet.
A source told The Sun yesterday: “This was breathtakingly unprofessional behaviour from the pilot. It was the height of stupidity. His career with EasyJet is doomed.”
The veteran captain took a plane full of holidaymakers from the UK to Cape Verde on August 4.
After checking in at the £1,569-a-week Melia Dunas Beach Resort and Spa he embarked on a drinking session which continued long into the night.
At 2.30am on August 5, he was seen stripping off his clothes and wandering into reception. In a “paralytic” state he shuffled nude towards a closed bar area before lurching to the gym and spa.
He had been due to fly passengers back to Gatwick from the West African island a little over 24 hours later on August 6.
But onlookers recognised him and raised the alarm, leading to EasyJet bosses swiftly finding a replacement.
Last night, sources at EasyJet said the captain remains “stood down” pending an ongoing probe.
One said: “EasyJet managers couldn’t believe what they were being told but took immediate action after complaints were raised at the highest level.
“Anyone who saw the pilot cavorting naked in the early hours on the day before a flight would not dream of getting on a plane with him at the controls.
“We all make mistakes but the level of stupidity on display here by a veteran captain beggars belief.
“The pilot did not have a stitch on and reeked of alcohol. He was so drunk that you wouldn’t have put him in charge of a toy aeroplane, never mind the real thing with hundreds of passengers.”
In 2023, The Sun told how British Airways launched a probe into claims a senior crew member was so sozzled he dropped his pants and ran naked round the buffet at a luxury Maldives resort.
An EasyJet spokesman said: “As soon as we were made aware, the pilot was immediately stood down from duty, in line with our procedures, pending an investigation.
“The safety of our passengers and crew is EasyJet’s highest priority.”
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