Pecohub An intoxicated feamle Delta pilot was arrested after failing a random breath test as she prepared to take off, according to reports.
The pilot, who is U.S.-based, was taken into custody at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, according to Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet. She was about to fly a transatlantic non-stop flight to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.
Local police said she was hauled off the plane and arrested “on suspicion of drunkenness” at around 9.15 a.m. local time Tuesday. She was about to embark on a nine-hour journey, due to land in New York at around 1 p.m. Eastern time.
However, Delta Air Lines flight 205 was scrapped because of the incident, and the company might have to fork out $705 in cash compensation to every passenger on board the 98-seat Boeing 767-300.
If the flight was fully booked, this would mean a bill of $69,000. In total, the failure to launch will cost Delta almost $140,000, according to Simple Flying.
If convicted, the pilot faces losing her flying license and, under Swedish law, could also face up to two years in prison, depending on her blood alcohol level at the time of flying, according to The Independent. Police, however, said it was not “significantly high.”
ABC7 New York reported that the woman is currently in custody awaiting a prosecutor’s review. The prosecutor has 72 hours to determine whether to file charges or release her.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s legal limit for pilots is 0.04% blood alcohol content, which is half the legal limit for drivers in most U.S. states.
The FAA recommends 12 to 24 hours between a pilot’s last drink and the flight and mandates a “Bottle to Throttle” rule that they must wait at least eight hours between consuming alcohol and operating an aircraft.
In a statement, the airline said it will fully cooperate with authorities, “as nothing is more important than the safety and security of our customers and people.
“We apologize to our customers for the disruption to their travel, and teams are working to get them to their destinations as soon as possible.”
