Pilot Arrested After Showing Up Drunk Ahead Of Planned Flight From Scotland To New York

Traveling is a great way to expand your horizons and connect with humanity at large. It’s also stressful and requires putting faith in other people to get you where you're going safely. One veteran Delta pilot has allegedly broken the trust placed in him.

On Friday, June 16, 2023, this unnamed 61-year-old pilot was arrested for allegedly showing up to work drunk. He was scheduled to fly Flight DL209 from Edinburgh, Scotland, to New York City. At the time of his arrest, passengers were already on board the plane, but the flight was ultimately cancelled.

The pilot violated the United Kingdom’s Railways and Transport Safety Act of 2003. This law requires strict limits on alcohol intake for transportation workers. Airline personnel’s legal limit is 20 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood.

Delta addressed this unfortunate incident in a statement. “Delta confirms that one of its crew was taken into custody [Friday] morning at EDI Airport,” a representative said. “Delta is assisting the authorities with their on-going inquiries. Delta’s EDI-JFK flight (June 16) has been canceled, and customers are being re-accommodated. We apologize to customers impacted by this cancellation.”

More from LittleThings: ‘Stop This Plane!’: Flight Attendant Turns Hero When Passenger Tries To Smash Into Cockpit

Delta explained in a statement to Insider that the company’s “alcohol policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation.” The next steps in the case are the scheduled court appearance of the pilot at the Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Watch this video to learn about a similar case three years ago.