British Airways has this morning confirmed that it is to suspend two pilots and an air stewardess after they were arrested for suspected drunkenness shortly before boarding a flight from Oslo to Heathrow.
The carrier told News From Abroad that the three staff, who were likely to arrive back in the UK around lunchtime today, would be served suspension letters pending a formal disciplinary inquiry.
A spokesman said: “We are launching a full investigation into an alleged breach of rules on alcohol consumption before duty involving three crew members in Olso. Norwegian police were alerted to this alleged breach by BA staff. All the staff were breathalysed by police as a result of the allegations. It is deemed to be gross misconduct, which can result in dismissal. We have a zero tolerance for any alleged abuse of our rules.”
The carrier confirmed that the flight in question was cancelled and passengers were put on SAS services to London. BA’s rules state that staff must not consume alcohol in the eight hours before any flight, and there must be no alcohol in their bloodstream when they report for work.
