BA 761 Captain, First Officer suspected of drinking.
BA crew barred over drinking claims
Andrew Clark, transport correspondent
Wednesday November 12, 2003
The Guardian
When the 55 passengers on board British Airways flight BA761 from Oslo to Heathrow yesterday were told their journey had been cancelled, the reason given was "staff shortages".
That much was true. But an important detail was omitted: the captain, first officer and purser of the flight had been arrested for apparently being drunk shortly before take-off.
BA ground staff in Norway called police when the trio reported for duty for the 6.45am flight.
The incident is a severe embarrassment to the national flag-carrier, which bans crew from drinking for eight hours before flights and insists staff should only consume alcohol "in moderation" for the preceeding 16 hours.
It comes three years after a crackdown at the airline, prompted by a television documentary which showed crew binge drinking before flights.
An insider at the airline said it was obvious to onlookers at Oslo airport that some of the crew were the worse for wear: "This was more than just having a few glasses of wine and going to bed early."
It is understood that the trio were arrested before passengers boarded. Police initially breathalysed them, then took them to a police station for blood tests. Two of the three passed the blood test.
Disgruntled passengers were finally taken home on a BA flight which left Oslo 10 hours later.
A BA spokeswoman said: "We have launched a full investigation. Norwegian police were alerted to the alleged breach by BA staff."
She said drinking before a flight was deemed "gross misconduct" and could result in dismissal.
Pilots are rarely caught in breach of drinking regulations: out of 10,000 commercial pilots in the UK, only 10 or 12 a year lose their licences for drinking.
Earlier this year, BA sacked a pilot who reported for work under the influence of drink at Stockholm's Arlanda airport.
The airline also dismissed two crew in 2000 following a Channel 4 programme in which a former stewardess covertly filmed crew drinking up to eight pints of beer on brief continental stopovers.
The British Airline Pilots' Association declined to comment yesterday.