Cathay Pacific pilot suspended after reportedly failing alcohol breath test – causing 24-hour flight delay

A Cathay Pacific flight was delayed in Australia for over 24 hours when a junior pilot allegedly failed an alcohol breath test.

Flight CX110 from Sydney to Hong Kong was unable to depart from the New South Wales capital on Wednesday (24 July).

During a pre-departure alcohol breath test, the second officer reportedly registered a score that did not fly with the airline’s alcohol policy for pilots.

Cathay Pacific said they were made aware of the reports of elevated alcohol levels and are in “close communication” with the relevant authorities.

According to the airline, the second officer has been suspended from flying duties with “immediate effect pending a full investigation”.

As a result, insufficient cabin crew numbers prevented the Cathay Pacific plane’s take off from Sydney Airport.

The flight, due to depart at 7.35am on Wednesday, started its nine-and-a-half-hour journey to Hong Kong at 10.35am the next day.

Alternative flights were arranged for some passengers to fly out of the Australian aviation hub during the lengthy delay and the airline “sincerely apologised for any inconvenience caused”.

Cathay Pacific has a 0.02% blood alcohol content limit for pilots to fly.

The airline said in a statement: “Safety is our overriding priority and we have a zero-tolerance approach to non-compliance with our alcohol and other drugs (AOD) policy, which sets out the Company’s standards and guidelines on handling any problematic use of alcohol or other drugs.

“Our pilots are all well aware of our AOD policy, with initial training upon joining the airline and refresher courses and examinations on our policy conducted annually. We conduct random AOD tests on our pilots in Hong Kong in line with industry best practices, with further random testing conducted by the relevant authorities at our outports.”

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