Two ‘drunk’ pilots dragged from cockpit by police minutes before flight was due to take off

Two pilots were arrested and dragged out of the cockpit by police just minutes before take off in Glasgow after passengers on an AirTransat flight reported that the pair exhibited abnormal behavior.

The flight was due to take off on Monday from Glasgow to Toronto and contained 250 people on board when it was aborted...

Officers arrested the men, aged 37 and 39 and accused them of being “impaired through alcohol”.

A spokeswoman said: 

“Police Scotland can confirm two men aged 39 and 37 years have been arrested in relation to being allegedly impaired through alcohol under the Railway and Transport Safety Act 2003 (Section 93).”

The Canadian airline confirmed the arrest of its employees and said the flight had been rescheduled and passengers put up in hotels.

A spokesman said to The Sun UK: 

“Air Transat has learned of the arrest on July 18 of two crew members assigned to its Glasgow-Toronto flight. We will await the results of the investigation and judicial proceedings before commenting on the matter. The safety of our crews and passengers is, and will remain, a top priority at Air Transat.”

A source told The Sun: 

“It’s believed the pilots and other cabin crew were on the plane and had started to do their checks and prepare for boarding. It’s claimed other members of staff noticed their behaviour was odd and reported them to the police because they thought they’d been drinking. Obviously you can never take any chances with that kind of thing and the cops soon arrived on the aircraft to investigate. 

“It’s claimed the pair were over the limit and were both arrested. The plane had to be grounded for the rest of the day.”