Civil Aviation Authority clears PIA pilot of intoxication charges

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pilot, who was barred from flying a passenger aircraft from Islamabad to Birmingham last week on suspected intoxication, was cleared of charges by Civil Aviation Authority on Monday, ARY News reported.

Flight PK-791 was due to take-off for Birmingham when a random alcohol check by the CAA staff raised an alarm on Captain Omar Khayyam’s breath.

He had presented a prescription of cough syrup upon inquiry, but for flight safety, he was barred from flying and an alternative pilot was arranged.

On Monday, the Civil Aviation Authority reported that various medical tests of the pilot confirmed that he wasn’t under the influence of alcohol or any other psychoactive substance.

The report, a copy of which is available with ARY News read that his blood and urine tests were conducted at two laboratories and he came clear of charges levelled against him.

The report said that the breathalyzer had raised a ‘false alarm’, and that an action is never taken solely on the report of breathalyzer, and as per routine procedure, such an alarm is always followed by detailed examination.

Subsequently, he was cleared of the charges against him. In its report, the Civil Aviation Authority ‘regretted’ the ‘psychological trauma, inconvenience, and annoyance’ caused to the pilot in question but maintained that the code had to be followed for flight safety.