A Sunwing Airlines pilot has been charged after getting into the New Year party mood a little early.
Miroslav Gronych, aged 37, was allegedly found passed out in the cockpit early on Saturday shortly before takeoff, and was subsequently tested for excess alcohol.
Canadian police said he had three times the legal limit of alcohol in his body.
Crew members reportedly said he was behaving erratically when he boarded the plane at Calgary International Airport.
The flight was due to travel to Regina and Winnipeg before continuing to Cancun, Mexico.
Police charged Gronych with having care and control of an aircraft while impaired and having care and control of an aircraft with a blood alcohol level over .08.
"It had all the potential for a disaster but I’ll tell you this much – the likelihood of a pilot on a major airline like this actually being able to take off when they’re impaired like that is pretty slim, because there’s a lot of checks and balances, " said Sgt. Paul Stacey, of Calgary police.
The flight departed with a replacement pilot without further incident.
"We are very apologetic for any upset that this has caused and would like to assure our customers that safety remains our utmost priority," said Sunwing spokeswoman Jacqueline Grossman.
The airline is ‘appreciative of our crew’s diligence in handling this very unfortunate matter,’ she added.
