Customs detains 4 Jet Airways cabin crew at Heathrow airport

Four cabin crew members of Jet Airways were detained by customs authorities at the London Heathrow airport earlier this month on charges of carrying cigarettes in excess of what is allowed.

In the incident which occurred about a fortnight ago, the four crew members were detained and released subsequently. Following this, they were taken off flying duty by the airline which has since launched an enquiry into the incident, sources said today.

Under the British customs rules, an air traveller is allowed to carry a maximum of 200 sticks of cigarettes.

A Jet Airways spokesperson said "a full-fledged investigation has ensued, based on specific inputs from concerned departments and agencies" and warned of "severe disciplinary action" in case the employees violated their code of conduct.

She said the airline as a policy has included the guidelines in the cabin crew line operations manual, which has to be strictly adhered to by all its staff.

"All airline staff are required to comply with company's rules and regulations and with the customs and security laws of the countries that Jet Airways flies to," the spokesperson added.