EasyJet banned a pilot from flying after finding out about suicidal messages he sent to his friends.
Pals passed the aviator's messages to his bosses after he told them 'I'm suicidal', 'my life is sh**' and 'I'm probably going to kill myself' in a WhatsApp group.
The decision to ground the pilot may have been influenced by Germanwings flyer Andreas Lubitz crashing his plane in 2015 while suffering from depression.
easyJet has apparently told its employee he must complete 'many weeks' of mental health tests before he can return to work.
An insider at the airline told The Sun they had to bar the pilot from flying after he warned friends he was probably going to take his own life.
The source added: "We take zero chances with our pilots. Anyone sharing suicidal thoughts in private deserves help and assessment.
“Taking their word for it that they’re fine isn’t enough. There’s too much at stake.
"The memory of the Germanwings tragedy remains in sharp focus.”
In a WhatsApp group, the pilot told friends: "I thought I would meet people, make friends with colleagues . . . my life is s**t since I was born.”
He reportedly told bosses that he was not suicidal.
A spokesman for the airline told The Sun: "The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is the airline’s highest priority.”
Co-pilot Mr Lubitz, 27, killed 144 passengers and six crew members when he deliberately crashed a Germanwings plane in France in March 2015.
He kept a diary detailing his depression.
