Delta Airlines pilot arrested 30 minutes before flight for being drunk

A Delta Airlines pilot was arrested by the police on suspicion of consuming too much alcohol just before he was scheduled to chauffeur a flight from Scotland to New York.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The 61-year-old pilot was arrested at Edinburgh Airport around 10 am on Friday, 30 minutes before the Boeing 767 was scheduled to take off. The plane was to undertake a seven-hour journey to John F. Kennedy International Airport.

“Delta confirms that one of its crew was taken into custody this morning at EDI Airport. Delta is assisting the authorities with their ongoing enquiries," said an airline spokesperson, confirming the arrest.

According to reports, the pilot was arrested after his blood alcohol level was found above the legal limit of 0.02, set under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003. After the arrest, the flight to New York was cancelled and the passengers re-accommodated.

“We apologise to customers impacted by this cancellation,” the spokesperson added.

Pilots getting arrested for being inebriated is not new news. In 2019, a 38-year-old Delta Airlines pilot from Rosemount was arrested and later pleaded guilty to a gross misdemeanour count of operating or attempting to operate an aircraft under the influence of alcohol. The pilot had a blood alcohol level between 0.04 per cent and 0.08 per cent when detectives arrested him on a plane at the Minneapolis airport

WATCH | WION Business News | US company debuts all-electric aircraft

×

He received a sentence of 30 days of electric home monitoring and work release. A jail sentence of 335 days was stayed for two years, provided the pilot followed the guidelines of his sentence.

Similarly in 2016, a United Airlines pilot was arrested at Glasgow Airport for being intoxicated. He was later sentenced to 10 months in prison.

Delta Airlines remains in the news

Notably, this is not the first instance when Delta Airlines has made the news headlines this year. In March, a passenger aboard Delta Flight 1714 from Los Angeles to Seattle was arrested after opening one of the aircraftdoors and sliding down the emergency exit slide.

The plane was immediately stopped by the pilots as the man jumped onto the back of a baggage cart. The Delta staff nabbed the passenger before handing him over to the LAX Police.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a statement and apologised for the inconvenience whilst adding that the rest of the passengers were escorted and moved to a new plane.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: