Dubai-based low cost airline FlyDubai announced Monday one of its pilots who failed an alcohol test in Nepal on Sunday before he was to operate a Dubai-bound flight, will face disciplinary action.
A spokeswoman for the airline said the pilot will be reprimanded, Reuters reports.
It is unclear what the sanction will be but a spokesman of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) told Reuters that under UAE law, any positive test for any crew member while on duty can result in them losing their license permanently.
The captain of FlyDubai flight FZ8018 was barred from flying on Sunday after he was “tested and discovered to have a blood alcohol level above the legally acceptable level”.
A crewmember reported him to the airline after he saw him drink alcohol at Katmandu international airport. The whole crew was replaced causing a delay as the replacement crew was flown from Dubai to Katmandu.
Passengers were proposed alternative arrangements to enable them continue their journey.
“We apologize for the delay to their travel plans but the safety or our passengers and crew remains our top priority,” the airline said.
