A flydubai pilot is facing disciplinary action after failing an alcohol test in Nepal on Sunday before they were due to operate a flight to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said the airline, Reuters reports.
The captain was “tested and discovered to have a blood alcohol level above the legally acceptable level” after a fellow crew member raised concerns the pilot was intoxicated, a flydubai spokeswoman told Reuters on Monday.
The pilot, who was tested before boarding the plane, was deemed unfit to fly. The airline sent a replacement crew to Kathmandu to operate the flight to Dubai which arrived 10 hours and 30 minutes later than originally scheduled.
Flydubai has launched an investigation into the incident, the spokeswoman said, adding that the pilot would be reprimanded.
The pilot was not identified. It was not immediately clear what disciplinary action the airline would take.
The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.