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Flydubai flight delayed after pilot found drunk

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Flydubai flight delayed after pilot found drunk

Dubai - The airline apologised for the delay, and stressed that it has a zero tolerance policy in such matters.

Published: Mon 30 Jul 2018, 12:57 PM

Updated: Mon 30 Jul 2018, 7:18 PM

  • By
  • Waheed Abbas

A flydubai flight from Kathmandu to Dubai was delayed for more than 10 hours after the pilot was found under the influence of alcohol.

"Whilst reporting for duty, a pilot scheduled to operate FZ8018 from Kathmandu (KTM) to Dubai (DXB) was suspected by a colleague to be under the influence of alcohol. The crew member in question was immediately tested and discovered to have a blood alcohol level above the legally acceptable level, and was therefore immediately deemed unfit to fly," the airline said in a statement.

The airline apologised for the delay, and stressed that it has a zero tolerance policy in such matters.

The carrier insisted that any employee suspected of consuming alcohol prior to flight duty must be tested.

"Flydubai has a zero tolerance policy on flight crew found to be in contravention of the regulations regarding alcohol consumption. In line with these stringent rules, we conduct random tests on our operational staff. We further insist that anyone suspected of consuming alcohol prior to flight duty must be tested," the statement said.

Arrangements were made to enable passengers to continue their journey to Dubai as soon as possible. "We apologise for the delay to their travel plans but the safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority," it said.

The Dubai carrier operates 14 flights every week between Kathmandu and Dubai. The flight duration is around 5 hours.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com



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