Almost the entire flight crew of a Greece bound plane have been arrested after testing positive for excess alcohol just before taking off.
The pilot, co-pilot and two flight attendants from Latvian carrier AirBaltic were detained by police in Oslo, Norway as they were preparing to crew a flight to Chania, Greece.
"The results of the blood tests confirmed that four of the five crew members were above the legal limit for alcohol concentration," said a Norwegian police spokesman.
The four crew members, all Latvian nationals, were tested at the airport following an anonymous tip.
"We got a tip that we should make a routine check and chose to do so. The alcohol test showed above 0.2 promiles, and was taken inside the plane," said police district operations officer Thorleif Skovereng.
The crew members could face two years in jail if found guilty.
The 109 passengers on board the charter flight were initially told the pilot was ‘unwell’ and faced a lengthy delay while AirBaltic dispatched a replacement crew.
Air Baltic spokesman Janis Vanags said the company has a strict policy on non-sobriety.
"Zero tolerance means no alcohol. It’s very straightforward – safety is our number one priority."
"There has been an initial test and that is being followed up with more detailed tests. When we have the results we will take appropriate action. I apologize to all customers who have been affected by this incident," Vanags added.
