An easyJet flight captain has been suspended pending an investigation after claims that he wandered naked around a luxury hotel at the end of an all-night drinking session.

The pilot, who has not been named, was seen without any clothes in the reception of a five-star hotel on the Atlantic resort island of Cape Verde early last Tuesday.

According to the Sun, which first reported the story, the captain had been drinking at the bar of the Meliá Dunas Beach Resort and Spa since the previous evening. It quoted witnesses who claimed to have seen the man stumbling in a “paralytic” state.

At 2.30am he reportedly removed all his clothes and walked into the reception area, before moving to the gym and spa.

The man had been due to fly passengers to Gatwick from Cape Verde last Wednesday. After the incident in the hotel, he was grounded by the airline and a replacement pilot was called up.

An easyJet source told the Sun: “Anyone who saw the pilot cavorting naked in the early hours on the day before a flight would not dream of getting on a plane with him at the controls.”

An easyJet spokesperson said: “As soon as we were made aware, the pilot was immediately stood down from duty, in line with our procedures, pending an investigation. The safety of our passengers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority.”

EasyJet’s flights from Gatwick to Cape Verde are its longest from England, at 2,332 nautical miles, with the journey taking about six hours.