Unqualified pilot flew passenger jets across Europe using forged documents, Avion Express confirms investigation

A co-pilot at Lithuanian carrier Avion Express allegedly forged his flight certificates to pose as a captain and flew commercial passenger jets across Europe for several months, according to reports by Aero Telegraph.

The man, who had previously worked as a first officer for Garuda Indonesia, is accused of falsifying documents to obtain command certification. During that time, he reportedly operated aircraft carrying hundreds of passengers.

Avion Express — a wet-lease airline that supplies aircraft and crews to major carriers such as LOT, easyJet and SunExpress — confirmed that an internal investigation is underway.

“The company recently became aware of unverified information regarding his professional experience. An internal investigation was immediately launched and is currently ongoing,” an Avion Express spokesperson told Aero Telegraph.

The airline stressed that its recruitment procedures comply with all aviation regulations and reiterated that “safety and compliance remain our top priorities.”

A spokesperson for Eurowings, one of Avion Express’s client airlines, said the carrier was “awaiting clarification of the facts” and that responsibility for the investigation lies with Avion Express.

The incident has reignited concerns over credential verification and oversight in Europe’s wet-lease aviation sector, which has expanded rapidly as airlines outsource capacity amid pilot shortages.

Avion Express operates a fleet of more than 50 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft worldwide. No safety incidents have been reported linked to the unqualified pilot so far.

This case follows a separate 2024 incident in the U.S., when an Alaska Airlines partner flight was forced to divert after the pilot admitted midair he was “not qualified” to land at Jackson Hole Airport — one of the continent’s most challenging airfields.

On 14 November, Avion Express issued the following statement:

Information for the Media Regarding the Captain’s Experience: The Airline Has Completed All Required Checks

Aviation is one of the most regulated industries in the world. After questions were raised about the experience of one former Avion Express captain, investigations were launched in several countries. The airline emphasises that what is being questioned is the pilot’s experience as a captain, not the pilot’s license itself:

“Every pilot who wants to start flying for an airline must submit all the necessary documents and go through a clearly regulated process established by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This process was strictly followed when the pilot in question was onboarded to fly for Avion Express. It is important to emphasise that in this situation, the issue is not about the pilot’s license, but about his promotion to the position of captain. The pilot applied as a Captain with a fully valid pilot’s license and was not promoted to Captain within Avion Express,” says company representative Rolanda Lipneviciute.

Aviation experts explain that a pilot begins their career with an airline as a first officer. Only after accumulating a specified number of flight hours can they apply for the position of captain. Such promotions are granted by airlines themselves, after assessing the required number of flight hours and completing internal promotion procedures. The minimum number of flight hours required by EASA for a pilot to become a captain is 1,500 hours, and Avion Express has more than doubled this requirement. When he started flying for Avion Express, the pilot in question had significantly more experience, over 10,000 flight hours, and twenty years in aviation. The authenticity of the pilot’s license is not in question, as it was verified by the national authorities.

“Upon receiving non-verified information that some of the pilot’s declared experience, relating to flights specifically as a captain, may have been inaccurate, the airline immediately launched an internal investigation and suspended all of the pilot’s flights. As soon as the investigation began, the mentioned person resigned. Until then, there had been no complaints about the pilot’s performance or questions about safety,” adds R. Lipneviciute.

The ongoing investigation aims to determine whether the documents confirming the pilot’s experience, relating to flights specifically as a captain, are accurate. Aviation regulatory authorities from several countries are involved in the process, and only authorised experts can assess the authenticity of the additional documents under investigation.