EasyJet suspends pilots over Snapchat videos

Michel Castellucci (pictured right), had an active social media presence until reports about the Snapchat posts were published

An EasyJet captain and his co-pilot have been suspended amid reports they filmed Snapchat videos during a flight.

The captain, named by The Sun as Michel Castellucci, uploaded clips of his colleague interacting with animated characters generated by the messaging app.

Footage appears to show the pair inside a cockpit next to a computer-generated woman and a dancing owl.

Passenger safety was not compromised at any point, the airline said.

The BBC has not been able to reach Mr Castellucci for comment, who appears to have deleted his social media accounts since reports about the Snapchat posts emerged.

According to the paper, he filmed the videos "at 30,000ft" during a flight from Paris to Madrid.

'Not acceptable'

It said it had been contacted by passengers who had branded the stunt "dangerous" and "irresponsible".

A spokeswoman for Luton-based EasyJet said it happened when the aircraft was not carrying out any manoeuvre and the flight operated safely.

She said: "Whilst at no point was the safety of the passengers compromised, this falls well short of the high standards EasyJet expects of its pilots.

"It is not acceptable and is not representative of the thousands of highly professional pilots who work for the airline.

"We take this issue seriously and, as such, the pilots have been suspended (in line with our procedures) pending a disciplinary investigation."