We all know that drinking and driving is dangerous, but it turns out flying an Airbus A350 and drinking is just as dangerous even if there's no alcohol being consumed.

As The Register reports, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has this week issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive for pilots of the Airbus A350 which effectively bans them from consuming liquids in the cockpit. The directive is in response to two in-flight occurrences of A350 engine failures due to "liquid spillage." FlightGlobal believes the two incidents occurred on a Delta Air Line A350-900 flight on Jan. 21, and an Asiana A350-900 flight on Nov. 9 last year.

It seems A350 pilots have been causing serious problems by spilling their drinks on the center pedestal located between where the two pilots sit. In both reported incidents "the aeroplane experienced an un-commanded engine in-flight shut-down (IFSD) of an engine some time after the liquid spillage." Attempts to restart the engine failed and a flight diversions was required to ensure a safe landing.

Once Airbus realized the incidents were due to pilots spilling drinks on delicate electronics panels, the company defined a new "liquid prohibited zone" for the cockpit. It means that if a pilot wants a drink, be that water, tea, coffee, or any other beverage, they'll need to go elsewhere and stretch their legs at the same time. I'm sure anyone flying on an A350 in the near future will welcome the new directive, but at the same time I'm sure we all thought this was basic common sense.

This isn't the end of the matter, though. The emergency directive is in place, but is classed as an "interim action." A further, more clearly defined and wide-ranging directive may follow so as to make it abundantly clear why drinks and cockpits full of electronics don't mix. The main concern for Airbus? That the next liquid spillage takes out both engines and causes an even more dangerous situation during a flight.

Further Reading

• Bill Gates Is Probably Not Buying a $644M Hydrogen-Powered Yacht
• How Do City Dwellers Feel About Electric Scooters?
• Blast Off to a Luxury Hotel in Space (for $9.5 Million)
• The Complete MWC 2018 Barcelona Guide: Food, Fun, and Travel
• More in Travel

More Travel Reviews

• Travefy
• Hotwire (for iPhone)
• TripIt!
• Fareboom
• Sidekick 4 (for Mac)