Etihad accused of helping pilot jump bail and get out of America after 'drunken rampage' in Chicago hotel 

  • Martyn Baylay claims he was attacked by Etihad co-pilot Saravdeep Mann
  • The incident is alleged to have happened when the men stayed in Chicago
  • He is claimed to have set about Mr Baylay with a bronze sculpture  
  • Mr Baylay accused the airline of arranging to get Mr Mann out of America

By Katie Louise Davies For Mailonline

Published: 13:23 EST, 17 October 2015 | Updated: 14:47 EST, 17 October 2015

Etihad has been accused of helping a pilot jump bail and get out of America following an alleged drunken rampage in a Chicago hotel. 

Martyn Baylay, 55, claims he was attacked by Etihad co-pilot Saravdeep Mann two years ago, when he is alleged to have set about him with a bronze sculpture. 

The alleged assault, in which he is claimed to be yelling: 'I'm going to kill you. You f***ing British bastard', is said to have happened during a stopover in October in 2013 and to have led to Mr Mann leaving the airline'.

Etihad has been accused of helping a pilot jump bail and get out of America following an alleged drunken rampage in a Chicago hotel

Etihad has been accused of helping a pilot jump bail and get out of America following an alleged drunken rampage in a Chicago hotel

The alleged attack is said to have left him needing hospital treatment for deep cuts to his head. 

Now Mr Baylay has alleged that Etihad knew Mr Mann had alcohol problems and executives arranged for Mr Mann to be taken out of America despite knowing that the pilot faced criminal charges, in a damages claim. 

He said that the airline had Mr Mann collected from the police before they changed its flight schedule in order to return him home to the Gulf emirate, according to papers laid before the court. 

Etihad told The Independent that it had not been made aware the pilot of his bail conditions and had been following its policy of returning its staff to their home base to conduct an investigation. 

In his claim, Mr Baylay states: 'Etihad collected Mann from the police station and, eventually, Etihad got Mann out of the United States. In order to get Mann out of the United States as quickly as possible, Etihad had to reconfigure its flight schedule and pilot configuration.' 

The claim added: 'Any efforts by Etihad...to obstruct the prosecution of Mann (by getting him out of the United States or preventing Baylay from participating in the prosecution of Mann) may constitute a violation [of Illinois law on obstructing justice].' 

It is claimed that Etihad knew Mr Mann, an Indian national, would break the bail bond he had posted, which included an undertaking not to leave the Chicago state of Illinois without permission, when it helped him to leave the country.

The airline told The Independent that there had nothing in Mr Mann's conduct to raise concerns about his fitness to fly prior to the alleged assault. 

They strongly dispute the version of events and said that the incident happened while both pilots were off-duty. 

The incident is alleged to have taken place on October 13 2013 when both men and two other crew members of a Boeing 777 stayed over in Chicago after a flight from Abu Dhabi (file picture of Chicago skyline in 2006)

The incident is alleged to have taken place on October 13 2013 when both men and two other crew members of a Boeing 777 stayed over in Chicago after a flight from Abu Dhabi (file picture of Chicago skyline in 2006)

They went on to say that this played no role in securing Mr Mann's bail.

The incident is alleged to have taken place on October 13 2013 when both men and two other crew members of a Boeing 777 when they stayed over in Chicago after a flight from Abu Dhabi. 

Mr Mann allegedly drank heavily both before and during an evening meal at a restaurant. 

The claim states: 'At approximately midnight, Baylay heard a knock on the door of his hotel room door and, checking the spy hole, Baylay saw Mann, who Baylay thought had come to apologise for his earlier behaviour and to collect the jacket he left behind.

'Baylay opened the door and, without any warning, was struck on the head with a bronze-bladed ornament… Baylay fell to the floor where Mann struck Baylay again on his leg. Mann then tried to strike Baylay a third time again on the head but Baylay managed to grab the weapon and Man fell on Baylay and said: 'I'm going to kill you. You f***ing British bastard.

My Baylay - who left the second largest airline in the summer - is seeking substantial damages for alleged negligence and personal injury.

In a statement, the airline said: 'Etihad Airways takes its duty of care towards all its employees very seriously. Following the incident we provided Martyn Baylay with extensive support and assistance, allowing him time to recover and return to his flying duties.

'This incident happened while both pilots were off-duty. As soon as we were made aware of it, we simply arranged for both pilots to be returned to their home base in Abu Dhabi, so that we could conduct an investigation. This is standard airline policy.'

It added: 'The airline was not party to Mr Mann's bail documents and he did not make us aware of any bail conditions. Mr Mann did not fly for Etihad Airways again and left employment with the airline within a week of his return to Abu Dhabi.'

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