A senior Delta pilot was detained Friday after allegedly arriving drunk on a flight from Edinburgh to New York City.
The pilot was charged in accordance with the UK’s Railways and Transport Safety Act of 2003, which places restrictions on the amount of alcohol that crew members may consume. For airline employees, the legal blood-alcohol limit is 20 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, whereas it is 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood for drivers in Scotland.
“Delta confirms that one of its crew was taken into custody [Friday] morning at EDI Airport,” an airline spokesperson stated. “Delta is assisting the authorities with their on-going inquiries. Delta’s EDI-JFK flight (June 16) has been canceled, and customers are being re-accommodated. We apologize to customers impacted by this cancellation,” the rep added.
The Herald Scotsman said that the pilot was due to appear in the Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday.
