The Air Line Pilots Association says the captain of a passenger plane hijacked over the South Island has given up flying.
A woman who stabbed both pilots on an Air New Zealand flight from Blenheim to Christchurch on 8 February, 2008, was sentenced in the High Court in Christchurch on Friday to nine years in prison.
Asha Abdille, 33, a Somali-born refugee, faced 15 years in prison, but her sentence was reduced because she pleaded guilty and had mental health problems.
The Pilots Association says the community has been sent the message that the hijacking of an aircraft is a very serious offence.
While the captain of the aircraft involved no longer flies, the association says his co-pilot is still flying domestic services.
