British Airways trio arrested for drinking

Wednesday, 12 November 2003 12:00 AM

Three flight-crew members on UK-bound BA flight 761 were arrested yesterday on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol.

The pilot, first officer and a cabin crew member were detained at Oslo airport in Norway on Tuesday morning (05:45GMT), shortly before boarding a scheduled flight to Heathrow.

Other BA staff reportedly tipped off the authorities over the alleged safety breach, according to local newspaper Romerikes Blad.

The trio was later released after police took blood tests.

All three reportedly failed to pass an alcohol breathalyser test.

The flight was cancelled and the plane's 55 passengers were put on alternative flights run by Scandinavian airlines (SAS), BA confirmed.

A spokesman for British Airways said the airline rigorously enforced a zero tolerance policy on alcohol abuse.

The Railways and Transport Safety Act, passed in September 2003, sets an alcohol limit for pilots of 20mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, roughly a quarter of the limit set for drivers.

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