Two more airline pilots are arrested ‘for being drunk’
TWO US pilots were arrested at Glasgow Airport yesterday over claims that they were about to fly an aircraft while drunk. The United Airlines crew were stopped at a staff check-in area as they arrived to join the scheduled 9am flight to New York. Last night, the pair, described as first officers with the US airline, were being held at Govan police station before making an appearance at Paisley Sheriff Court tomorrow morning. A spokesman for Police Scotland said: ‘We can confirm two men, aged 35 and 45, have been arrested and are presently detained in police custody in connection with alleged offences under the Railway and Transport Safety Act (2003) Section 93. ‘This section of the Act governs “carrying out pilot function or activity while exceeding the prescribed limit of alcohol”.’ It’s just six weeks since two AirTransat pilots were hauled off their aircraft as they prepared to make the seven-hour flight to Toronto in Canada. Yesterday’s incident at the same airport caused a lengthy delay to Flight UA162 to Newark, New Jersey. While it was due to depart on schedule at 9am, it was not until 6.30pm that the Boeing 757-200 aircraft finally took off with 141 passengers on board. A spokesman for United Airlines said: ‘The two pilots have been removed from service a nd their flying duties. We are co-operating with the authorities and will conduct our own investigation as well. The safety of our customers and our crew is our highest priority. ‘Our team at Glasgow Airport have provided our customers with support, including meal vouchers and hotel accommodation, where required. We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused.’ The drink-fly limit in this country is extremely low, at 20 mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, compared to the Scottish drink drive limit of 50mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. Last month, the airline industry was rocked by another Glasgow-based scandal when Jean-François Perreault, 39, and Imran Zafar Syed, 37, were taken off their plane by police officers called to investigate allegations that the crew were drunk. Airport staff looked on as officers boarded the cockpit of the AirTransat plane on July 16, moments before the passenger flight was due to take off. The pair later appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court and were remanded in custody at Low Moss Prison near Glasgow. A week later, the pilots were released on bail but were forced to surrender their passports. They are due to re-appear at the court at a later date. AirTransat promised the delayed passengers up to £500 in compensation. In relation to last night’s incident, the two air crew are designated first officers, which means co-pilots. This means they were not due to captain the aircraft but their removal from the crew meant there were insufficient staff members on board. The lengthy delay was due to the time taken to source and re-position replacements. A spokesman for Glasgow Airport said: ‘We are aware of an incident whereby two crew members were arrested this morning.’
‘They have been removed from duties’