PIA suspends drunk pilot, stewards arrested in Britain

Pakistan's national carrier has suspended the captain of a flight and three stewards after they were arrested in Britain for being drunk, with the pilot found to be four-and-a-half times over the legal limit to fly.
Irfan Faiz, captain of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight to Islamabad on Wednesday, was arrested from the cockpit of an Airbus by police at the airport serving the cities of Leeds and Bradford.
The PIA management suspended 54-year-old Faiz for "violation of rules leading towards becoming unfit for flying".
In a separate incident, police arrested three PIA flight stewards in Manchester for misbehaving with a British woman at a hotel. The stewards too were reportedly found drunk.

PIA spokesman Mashhood Tajwar said the airline's management had also suspended the stewards. They were in the custody of Manchester Police and an investigation was underway, he said.
Faiz was produced before Leeds magistrates today and charged with an alcohol-related aviation offence. The court heard he was four-and-a-half times over the legal alcohol limit to fly, BBC reported.

Magistrates were told Faiz smelled of alcohol and was unsteady on his feet before the flight. After he pleaded guilty, magistrates told Faiz he had "breached the trust of the public" and the consequence could have been a serious loss of life.

Faiz was remanded to custody and will be produced in Leeds Crown Court on October 18.
PIA spokesman Tajwar said due to the lack of an alternate captain, passengers of the flight to Pakistan had to make a night stop at Leeds. "Later, the flight departed with a delay of 15 hours," he said.
"PIA is not responsible for violation of rules or code of conduct by its employees. PIA will never provide legal or any kind of assistance nor support for individual's act of violation," he said.