The Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed nine commercial airline pilots were convicted of drunken driving last year. The disclosure that pilots banned from the road for drunken driving were allowed to fly jets came as a result of a Freedom of Information request, The Daily Telegraph reported yesterday.
A spokesman for the International Airline Passengers Association told the newspaper: 'Anyone who would drink drive should be out of that job for life. The responsibility of a pilot is huge.'
However, a CAA spokesman said that pilots convicted of drunken driving are required to attend an alcohol abuse clinic. If an alcohol problem is identified, the pilot's medical certificate is withdrawn until he or she has successfully completed treatment.
Of the nine pilots convicted of drunken driving last year, three worked for easyJet and one was employed by Virgin Atlantic. |
