Two Swiss Airline Pilots Removed from Duty for Attempting to Fly Intoxicated

Source: picture alliance/Markus Mainka

Two pilots of Swiss, the Lufthansa subsidiary, have been removed from service after allegedly reporting for duty while still intoxicated from the previous evening. The incident, which occurred in May, was reported by the specialist portal Aero Telegraph and the Swiss newspaper Blick.

According to reports, the two pilots spent the evening drinking together at a hotel in Geneva. Observers, whose names were not disclosed, described their condition to Aero Telegraph as "clearly intoxicated."

The following morning, the pilots were scheduled to operate an Airbus A220. However, crew members noticed their condition and reported it before the flight.

"The indications were so concrete that we had to doubt the pilots' fitness for duty," a Swiss spokesperson told Aero Telegraph. "The two pilots were removed from duty and replaced at the crew hotel before the start of their service."

The airline emphasized that the pilots were never seated intoxicated in the cockpit at any point.

Suspension and Potential Consequences

The two men have been provisionally suspended from duty while the case is under review. They face a warning or, in the worst case, dismissal. According to reports, the pilots did not voluntarily report themselves as unfit for duty.

"Our safety mechanisms are working: Employees took their responsibility and reported their observations. We acted immediately and applied the prescribed processes," Swiss told Blick.

Alcohol Limits for Cockpit Crew

In Europe, a limit of 0.2 per mille applies for cockpit crews, primarily to account for measurement errors or residual alcohol from food. However, many airlines—including Swiss—enforce a stricter 0.0 per mille mentality in their internal guidelines.

"Safety is our top priority. Clear and strict rules apply to our crew members regarding the handling of alcohol. They may not report for or perform their duty under the influence of alcohol," the airline stated. "We have the highest standards for our flight safety and our crews and tolerate no alcohol abuse."

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