Serious misconduct pilot fights for job

An Air Nelson pilot is fighting to get his job back after he was sacked for a late-night drinking spree and having sex with a teenage female crew member during an unscheduled overnight stopover.

The pilot was fired by Air Nelson, owned by Air New Zealand, last year for serious misconduct, including sexual harassment, failing to act responsibly, and buying and drinking alcohol with two crew members.

He lost a case of unjustified dismissal against the airline and took his case to the Employment Court, which began a five-day hearing in Auckland yesterday.

His name is suppressed.

The incident happened after bad weather forced an overnight stopover in Napier.

After drinking at their hotel, the female crew member woke up the next morning in the pilot's bed and rang a friend in a distressed condition saying she believed the pilot had had sex with her.

The pilot said the sex was consensual, but the woman said it was not.

The woman complained to police but no charges were laid.

- NZPA