A shortage of available pilots is a well-known and often-discussed problem in the airline industry.
Between a mandatory retirement age of 65 and the $10,000 fee and 1,500 hours of paid flying practice it takes to get licensed, North American airlines have been struggling to hire at rates fast enough to keep up with demand for air travel. Even the U.S. Air Force currently has 1,500 fewer than it would like to employ.
DON'T MISS: This Airline Might Have The Solution To The Pilot Shortage
On June 16, a Delta Airlines (DAL) flight from Edinburgh to New York was canceled after Scottish authorities came onboard to arrest the pilot who was supposed to take the 260 or so passengers aboard the Boeing 767-300ER (BA) across the Atlantic Ocean.
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Here's How a Veteran Delta Pilot Was Arrested Aboard a Plane
As first reported by industry website One Mile At A Time, the 61-year-old pilot was charged under the United Kingdom's Railways and Transport Safety Act of 2003 for having an elevated blood alcohol level — while the legal limit for airplane crew is 20 milligrams, the pilot whose name has been kept private had an undisclosed amount more in his system.
All this took place at 10 a.m. local time as police entered the aircraft and led off the pilot; while many details around how the arrest took place and how the pilot's condition was tipped off to the police remain unclear, passengers aboard the flight reportedly heard an announcement that the flight was canceled about 35 minutes before it was scheduled to depart.
"Sometimes [pilots'] fellow crew members report them, as they notice unusual behavior, or smell alcohol on their breath," wrote Ben Schlappig of One Mile At A Time. "Sometimes security staff at the airport notice strange behavior from pilots, and call the police."
In statements to media, Delta Airlines confirmed that the incident occurred and reiterated that it has "no tolerance for violation" of its crew member alcohol policy.
Delta Confirms It Is 'Assisting The Authorities'
"Delta confirms that one of its crew was taken into custody [Friday] morning at EDI Airport," the airline said in a statement. "Delta is assisting the authorities with their on-going inquiries." Travelers were also reassigned to different flights going to their destinations within 24 hours of the cancelation.
Employed by Delta for many years, the pilot has reportedly appeared before Edinburgh Sheriff Court no June 19. While the 20 milligram alcohol limit required of airplane crew is significantly lower than the 50 milligrams Scotland allows drivers, surpassing the limit even by a little could lead to both license loss and jail time — in the summer of 2021, Scottish United (UAL) pilot was sentenced to 10 months in jail after showing up to Glasgow Airport.
Then 63-year-old Glendon Gulliver was caught after a fellow bargoer observed him drinking heavily the night before, recognized him as a pilot and posted about the incident on Twitter.
Local authorities then stopped Gulliver, examined his alcohol level and reported him "attempting to perform an aviation function with alcohol in breath" to Scottish courts.
"I find it hard to envisage a more responsible role than that of a pilot in a commercial aircraft - these people placed their lives in your hands," Sheriff Gillian Craig told Gulliver during the court hearing. That flight was scheduled to go from Glasgow to Newark International Airport.
United also parted ways with Gulliver after he was sentenced by the court.
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