Finnish police are investigating an incident in which a Finnair pilot was found to have consumed alcohol before a flight departing from Helsinki Airport last month.
Colleagues at Finnair raised concerns about the pilot possibly being under the influence. Police conducted a breathalyzer test that indicated a blood alcohol concentration of 1.5.
The pilot had not yet entered the cockpit when the issue was discovered. The flight was delayed by about an hour and a half while the airline arranged for a substitute pilot.
“The situation is under police investigation,” Paivyt Tallqvist, head of media relations at Finnair, told YLE. “When the suspicion of substance use arose, Finnair staff reported it and we followed protocol by asking the police to investigate. They administered a breathalyzer test, which confirmed the suspicion.”
“We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding substance use for anyone performing safety-critical duties,” Tallqvist added. “Pilots are of course part of that group. If someone is at work under the influence of alcohol, we report it to the relevant authorities, as happened in this case. Employment is always terminated in such situations.”