KLM pilots were spotted cleaning their own aircraft canopy amid the staffing crisis at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA).
The pair of pilots were spotted hanging out either side of their cockpit windows, each with a cloth in hand, wiping away at the canopy during the scorching hot weather. They reportedly also doused the windows in water and had the windscreen wipers on.
They were pictured by an LBA passenger at 5.30pm on Thursday, July 14. This comes as the airport industry as a whole faces an understaffing crisis, following disruption to services during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is not known whether these issues are linked, airliner KLM has been asked for a comment regarding this matter.
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LBA regularly has passengers queuing outside the airport on their way towards checking through security, while the airport deals with the downfalls of the understaffing crisis.
A passenger, going by the name Irish Emer on Twitter, spotted the unusual sight of the pilots. She said in a string of Tweets: "Things must be bad at KLM when the pilots have to clean their own windows.
"It was Thursday 14th July at 5.30pm...and I was waiting to board the Ryanair flight home to Dublin - I’d been over in the UK for my daughter’s graduation from Northumbria university! I used to live in York.
"So while we were waiting we saw the pilots cleaning the windows on that KLM plane…they also poured water over the windows & had the wipers on - hilarious!"
KLM have been approached for comment.
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