PIA pilot suspended at LBA for violating rules!
 

Hi

Last nights PIA776 service from Leeds/Bradford to Islamabad has been delayed by up to 14 hours, it was due out at 19:30 last night but the aircraft (A310, AP-BEQ) still parked up on the apron showing am 11:30 estimated departure, According to the following news report a PIA spokesman has confirmed that one of the pilots has been suspended for violating rules.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-11...r-flight-delay

I have heard this morning that the said person involved turned up at the airport last night intoxicated and that he may have been arrested by the Police. This has not been confirmed as yet though.

This article seems to provide the answer

'Drunk' pilot arrested - Yorkshire Evening Post

Oh dear, bang goes a career. Somehow doubt that they have a rehab scheme in PIA.
OTOH, he may be well connected :hmm:

Suspected drunk airline captain charged

Pilot Irfan Faiz to face court on aircraft drink charge

Somehow doubt that they have a rehab scheme in PIA
 

They don't sound like a particularly supportive employer.

"The pilot will face legal proceedings in the UK and he will be sacked if convicted there.

"The PIA will not provide any legal assistance to Faiz and he will himself arrange such an assistance there."

A state for Muslims, not a Muslim state. Constitutionally it is secular, the judiciary try hard to keep it as such, but it is difficult given the politics.

Alcoholism is recognised as an illness, if so diagnosed I would expect ANY and EVERY company to support a sick colleague. There are protocols in some companies to confidentially report colleagues who display the symptoms and require treatment.

In some 'dry' countries/states one has to register as an alcoholic to be served booze.

Your expectation is quite high Beardy..
Practically,Which airline is gone give a second chance to one of his pilot who get caught under the influence of alcohol when reporting for duty..?:hmm:

<<Alcoholism is recognised as an illness,>>

Right.. and if the man is ill he shouldn't be allowed anywhere near an aeroplane.

There is a saying in China that goes like this:'a colleague in need is a colleague indeed'
He :mad: up and should pay the legal and professional consequences but should be supported during this ordeal.

Do the police go on a special training course on how to make a ridiculous statement to the press?

The Plain English Campaign would have a field day.

Heathrow Director, you are quite right, hence the benfits of a confidential reporting system.

Just do a search of all the other posts this site has on the same subject, you will come across a very moving story by one who suffered and was supported.

Fair enough but The Plain English Campaign do have a point;

Whether it's the police spokesperson or the legislation that is at fault, it sounds patently ridiculous.

Just to add some detail.. In the UK the drink/driving limit is 35ug/100ml of breath. All police portable intoximeters will only give a fail indication when over that limit.
The Aviation limit is 4 times less at 9ug/100ml. and would need to be measured, not by the portable meter, but by a larger calibrated machine at the nearest police station.

Not entirely true. The portable meter in both the driving and aviation cases is used to provide the Officer with grounds to arrest the individual on suspicion of committing the offence. All portable devices in use are apparently capable of measuring the level with sufficient accuracy to do that for the airline cases as well as the driving ones.

The device at the station is used to provide the evidence to charge the individual. The original guidance from the Authorities on the Transport Act 2003 was that although these station machines were accurate enough to convict in both driving and aviation cases the evidence in aviation cases would initially be from blood or urine samples. It isn't clear whether or not that guidance is still being followed.

The BBC has just posted

An airline pilot has pleaded guilty to being drunk just before he was due to fly an Airbus from Leeds Bradford Airport to Pakistan.

Irfan Faiz, 54, from Pakistan, was detained by police in the cockpit of a Pakistan International airways airliner shortly after 22:00 BST on Wednesday.

Leeds Magistrates' Court heard Mr Faiz was four-and-a-half times over the legal limit to fly.

Getting drunk while in charge of an international flight is mental illness alright. The treatment is a job at 7-11 flying the candy counter.

BBC News - Pilot Irfan Faiz was four times over alcohol limit
Which is just over the legal limit for driving in the UK.

Yeah buddy.... tell that to Lyle Prouse

One more step down the road to random testing in the UK, won't be long now.