More flight crew members caught under the influence of alcohol last year
Last year, the police caught ten cabin crew members and one pilot with too much alcohol in their system at Schiphol Airport - the highest number since the police started keeping track in 2012. All 11 of them faced hefty fines. The police did not disclose nationalities or the airlines involved, RTL Nieuws reports.
The rules around alcohol consumption for flight crew members are very strict. They have to be sober and are not allowed to drink in the ten hours before a flight. The rules say they can’t fly with more than 0.2 per mille alcohol in their blood - a limit included for measurement reasons.
The penalties are also hefty. Pilots face a fine of 1,100 euros for the smallest violation. At 0.63 per mille - two large drinks - that increases to 4,700 euros and a ban on flying for 23 weeks. Pilots caught with over 1.54 per mille alcohol in their system can face prison for ten weeks. For cabin crew, the lowest fine is 275 euros and the maximum prison sentence is four weeks.
The pilot in question was caught on October 29 with a blood alcohol level of 0.45. He had to pay a fine of 2,900 euros. A crew member on the same flight also had too much to drink. On November 20, the police caught three cabin crew members under the influence in one check. Two of them were on the same crew. One had a blood alcohol level of 1.43 and had to pay a 1,900 euro fine.
