British Airways pilot kidnapped, assaulted, and robbed during South Africa layover
The unfortunate incident took place during a layover in South Africa. The pilot, who works for British Airways, used his downtime and went shopping. He departed from the crew hotel in Melrose Arch and headed to the Checkers Bluebird supermarket north of his accommodation complex.
5:17 PM EST, January 11, 2024
British Airways pilot kidnapped and brutally beaten
In the supermarket's parking lot, an elderly woman asked him to help her carry her grocery bags to her vehicle. Upon reaching the car, a group of men surprised him, forced him into the vehicle, and drove him to a house in a desolate part of Johannesburg. There, they severely beat him and robbed him.
The kidnappers extorted his bank account details from him, and after emptying his accounts, they contacted the pilot’s wife. Under the threat of harm to her husband, they forced her to divulge her account details. Before freeing the pilot, the kidnappers took compromising photos of him, threatening to release them online if he reported the kidnapping to the authorities.
His injuries were so severe that he was unable to pilot the flight back to London. A substitute had to be brought in. Since the incident, the British Airways employee has been unable to resume his duties in the cockpit and continues to recover.
British Airways encourages employees to exercise caution
The airline notified its staff, apprising them of the situation. Concurrently, the carrier advised its employees to avoid visiting neighborhoods known for their dangerous reputation.
"We are assisting our colleague and collaborating with the local authorities in their investigation into this incident," stated British Airways authorities during an interview with The Sun.
