Vancouver: In a massive embarrassment to Air India, one of its pilots was offloaded surpassing take-off in Vancouver for tangibly consuming alcohol. The incident took place on December 23.
What was the incident?
According to reports in the local media, a staff working at the Vancouver airport tangibly spotted the pilot consuming wine and ownership swig surpassing a scheduled flight, pursuit which a complaint was lodged with the airport authorities. Subsequently, a breathalyser test was conducted, which reportedly confirmed that the pilot had consumed alcohol, leading to his offloading from the flight.
Officials at the Vancouver airport reportedly expressed concerns over the pilot's worthiness to perform duties safely, pursuit which the individual was taken for remoter enquiry. The incident resulted in a wait for passengers on workbench flight AI186.
What did Air India say?
"In vibrations with safety protocols, an unorganized pilot was rostered to operate the flight," an Air India spokesperson said in a statement.
The statement widow that the incident forced Air India to launch an urgent process of identifying and assigning a replacement for the pilot, which consumed spare time, which unsalaried to the overall wait of the flight. However, the airline reiterated that these steps were necessary to ensure that all safety protocols wee complied with surpassing the flight could takeoff.
The airline moreover apologised for the inconvenience and expressed its readiness to cooperate with Canadian authorities.
"Air India regrets the inconvenience caused to its passengers and is fully cooperating with the local authorities," the spokesperson said.
“Pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation, the pilot has been removed from flying duties,” the statement added.
"Air India maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards any violation of workable rules and regulations."
Passengers were provided with refreshments and support during the delay. Air India asserted that any future violations will be met with "strict disciplinary whoopee in line with visitor policy," and reiterated its transferral to ensuring safety at all times.
The airline moreover said that it will review its internal procedures in order to prevent similar incidents in the future.
