FlyDubai announced that it had terminated a pilot after he was found drunk while preparing for a flight to Dubai International Airport (DXB) from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on July 29, 2018. It caused a flight delay of over 10 hours.
“Flydubai confirms that the pilot’s employment has been terminated. The safety of our passengers and crew is our priority,” the airline said.
The pilot was immediately tested after the TIA authority got information from the airline officials and discovered to have a blood alcohol level above the legally acceptable level and was therefore immediately deemed unfit to fly.
Another flydubai flight arrived in the evening with additional crew members who continued the delayed flight.
“Whilst reporting for duty, a pilot scheduled to operate FZ8018 from Kathmandu (KTM) to Dubai (DXB) was suspected by a colleague to be under the influence of alcohol. The crew member in question was immediately tested and discovered to have a blood alcohol level above the legally acceptable level, and was therefore immediately deemed unfit to fly,” the airline said in a statement.
The airline stressed that it has a zero-tolerance policy in such matters and the safety of the passengers is its top priority.
The Dubai based carrier operates 14 flights every week between Kathmandu and Dubai. The flight duration is around 5 hours.
