Pilots suspended over drink claim

BA has a strict policy on alcohol

British Airways has suspended two pilots and a member of cabin crew suspected of being on duty after drinking.

The pilot, co-pilot and head of cabin crew were arrested by police in Norway, ahead of an Oslo to Heathrow flight.

BA said the trio could lose their jobs for gross misconduct and that it had a zero tolerance policy for alcohol.

The staff, who had been reported by colleagues, are in the UK awaiting the results of blood tests.

Disciplinary offence

Norwegian police said the crew members had all failed breathalyser tests, shortly before their flight, BA 761, was due to leave Norway at 0445 GMT on Tuesday.

The flight was cancelled and its 55 passengers transferred to a Scandinavian Airlines plane.

A BA spokeswoman said: "All three members of staff have been suspended. A formal disciplinary process has begun."

She said it was a disciplinary offence for an employee to report for work drunk and that it can result in dismissal.

Alcohol laws

The spokeswoman said that if it was deemed that there is a case to answer, disciplinary hearings would take place within one week

The trio also face the possibility of legal action in Norway, where air crew must adhere to the same alcohol laws as drivers.

We can withdraw pilots' medical certificates which would prevent them from flying Civil Aviation Authority

Norwegian police said they would decide whether or not to take action after seeing the results of the blood tests, which are due back within two weeks.

A spokesman said: "Our police lawyers are seeing if the case has to be dealt with here or if it is possible to hand it over to the English authorities."

Staff at Oslo Airport are also being interviewed about the alleged incident, he added.

The British Civil Aviation Authority said it could also decide to take action, depending on the route taken by BA and Norwegian police.

It said: "We can withdraw pilots' medical certificates which would prevent them from flying."

Other cases

BA said this was the fifth incident of its kind at the airline in the last six years.

Captain Graeme Holden, of the Isle of Man, lost a claim for unfair dismissal in September, after BA dismissed him over a breach of its alcohol rules.

Another pilot was sacked in February after being breathalysed before a flight from Sweden to London Heathrow.

The company's rules state crews should only consume alcohol in moderation in the 24 hours before reporting for duty.

They should not consume any alcohol in the last eight hours, and have no alcohol left in their bloodstream when reporting for duty.

Civil Aviation Authority rules are less strict. They say aircrew cannot be on a plane or report for duty while drunk or under the influence of drugs, but there is no specified alcohol limit.

A new limit of 20 mg per 100 ml of blood - a quarter of the drink driving limit - is contained in a law passed earlier this year, but a date for introducing the limit has yet to be set.

Few of the UK's 10,000 commercial pilots lose their licences because of alcohol offences. The number is only about 12 or 15 a year, and most of these are later reinstated.