An airline captain has been fined over an incident which led to an aircraft being intercepted by fighter jets.
Regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said Christopher Hollands, 57, from Richmond, south-west London pleaded guilty to not maintaining radio communication with air traffic control (ATC) during a SAS Connect flight from Oslo, Norway to Manchester.
He was fined £4,511 at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, according to the CAA.
Fifty-eight passenger were on board the aircraft when the incident happened on February 5 last year.
ATC provider Nats reported the flight after a loss of radio communications with Hollands of more than half an hour.
This triggered the declaration of a security incident, and two RAF Typhoons were launched.
The fighter jets escorted the airliner to Manchester airport where it landed and went to a remote stand.
The CAA said it is the first prosecution for such an incident in the UK.
CAA head of flight operations Glenn Bradley said: “Incidents of lost communications causing security breaches are a matter of great concern both for us as the aviation regulator, and for the Government.
“Aviation is one of the safest methods of transportation, and it relies on pilots maintaining radio communication with air traffic control through the standard channels during flight.
“We continue to work with pilots, airlines, and the Government to reduce similar incidents, including by prosecuting offenders when appropriate to maintain confidence in UK aviation’s safety and security.”
SAS Connect was approached for a comment.
