SWISS International Air Lines cabin crew has recently become involved in a spot of trouble with the airline for publicly posing for pictures and selfies on top of the wing of a parked Boeing 777 aircraft belonging to the airline while on the ground in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The incident

While online data do not specify the exact date at which this happened, One Mile At A Time does indicate that this incident occurred earlier this month. The airline serves Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) via São Paulo International Airport (GRU) from its hub in Zurich International Airport (ZRH) and deploys its fleet of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on this route.

At the time of the incident, the aircraft was on the ground at EZE, awaiting its return leg to Brazil and onwards to Zurich. Videos taken by passengers at the terminal gates show that three crew members opened the over-wing exit on the starboard side (right side) of the aircraft and stepped out onto the wing for this unusual photo shoot.

The videos captured show three crew members taking turns to stand on the wing with various poses and taking pictures.

Safety first

While everyone loves a good selfie, taking them on top of an aircraft wing, around 16 feet above the ground, is definitely not a good idea, and more importantly, it is hazardous. That being said, when it comes to flight safety, the cabin crew is responsible for ensuring the safety of the passengers, the aircraft, and the crew members themselves.

For every aspect, including the pre-departure procedures, the flight, and the post-arrival duties, all have to be carried out following the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) laid out by the airline. Therefore, it is imperative that these procedures are followed correctly in order to ensure safe operations of flight.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Furthermore, the over-wing exits are usually used in the case of emergency evacuation, and due to their proximity to the wing, the exits are also equipped with special L-shaped emergency escape slides.

NO STEP

The wing of an aircraft is so much more than just a source of lift for an aircraft. The wings support the engines, contain the aircraft's fuel tanks, and house essential components such as flaps, slats, and spoilers. Perhaps most importantly, the wing also houses the ailerons, which is one of the primary flight controls responsible for banking the aircraft.

Thus, there are some critical areas of the wing that are labeled "NO STEP" because loads in these areas can potentially cause damage or wear of components. While the wings are built strong enough to handle various types of loads that an aircraft is expected to encounter during regular flight operations, concentrated loads (for example, humans standing on the wing) in certain areas can damage the wing.

Is it social media?

While social media is definitely a helpful tool, in recent years, there have been cases of downright dangerous activities making trends across the world, and often, it has also affected aviation.

Photo: XanderSt | Shutterstock

It is turning out to be a severe issue that two airlines in the United States do not allow their employees and crew from having the popular TikTok app on their phones and have banned the application from their internal networks.

Southwest Airlines was the first to ban the app, and shortly after that, Delta Air Lines also banned the social media app from their network.

What do you think of this incident? Do you think this is part of some social media trend? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Source: One Mile At A Time.