A Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight has been suspended at the last minute after the pilot was reportedly found drunk.
The incident happened on Thursday at the Jinnah International Airport of Karachi where a UK-bound flight was postponed at the eleventh hour.
As per the report, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), during a random checking, suspected that the pilot of PK-791 was ‘not in senses.’
Upon medical checkup of pilot Captain Umar Khayyam, it was confirmed. The CAA had to arrange an alternative pilot for the flight. The Birmingham-bound plane, which was scheduled to leave at 11:50 am, took off at 2:15 pm.
The CAA spokesperson also confirmed that they conducted a medical test of the pilot and that he was barred from flying the aircraft. The spokesperson, however, remained tight-lipped on the results of the test.
Sources well-acquainted with the matter said the pilot had shown a doctor’s prescription of cough syrup, which reportedly caused ‘dizziness.’
PIA spokesman assured media persons of strict action against the pilot in question, “if he tested positive.”
In a similar incident earlier this year, a flight attendant was offloaded for being drunk on duty.
The incident was also reported at Karachi Airport when the company’s medical team paid a surprise visit and found that a flight attendant Ghulam Muhammad Sarwar Chandio was drunk on duty.
Why PIA Not Sent him into Jail ?