Portuguese pilot held after being found drunk in cockpit

The co-pilot of a Portuguese airline was detained in Stuttgart after being found drunk in the cockpit just before take off, German police and prosecutors said Saturday.

German police entered the cockpit and found the 40-year-old in a “highly intoxicated condition” on Friday evening, a statement said.

An airport official had sounded the alert after finding the Portugalia pilot “reeking of alcohol and walking unsteadily,” it said. Portugalia is a subsidiary of the national carrier TAP.
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Stuttgart prosecutors immediately suspended the co-pilot’s flying licence and fixed a 10,000-euro ($12,000) bail.

Portugalia cancelled a flight from Stuttgart to Lisbon on Friday night with 106 passengers.

TAP said it would “open an enquiry and take necessary measures” and apologised to passengers for the inconvenience caused.

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