AirBaltic suspends crew for suspected alcohol abuse

Latvian national carrier airBaltic has suspended four crew members after they were removed from a flight Aug. 8 due to suspected alcohol abuse. The flight—BT7843, from Oslo, Norway to Chania, Crete—was delayed by 4:45 hours after four out of five crew was removed.

In a statement, airBaltic said the crew is now undergoing a careful medical examination to determine the actual blood alcohol levels.

“Safety is our top priority and airBaltic is in process of careful investigation of this situation,” airBaltic said, adding that “airBaltic has several layers of control mechanism to ensure the safety of all airBaltic-operated flights. Procedures are in place to ensure potential mistakes of human factor are addressed. AirBaltic has temporarily suspended the involved four crew until the investigation is completed.”

The carrier said it has “zero tolerance for diverting from the safety principles and, as soon as comprehensive investigation is completed, will evaluate additional safety measures in cooperation with aviation authorities.”

(Linda Blachly - ATWOnline News)