A pilot and three cabin crew members were caught in a large-scale alcohol inspection at Schiphol on Wednesday morning. Three of them had drunk enough before departure to be fined on the spot.
Between 06:45 and 10:15, the police aviation unit and the Koninklijke Marechaussee breathalysed 707 pilots and cabin crew before their flights. The vast majority were clear, but four crew members had ignored the strict rules on alcohol.
The fines
The heaviest offence came from a flight attendant who blew 0.58 promille, roughly three standard drinks still in her blood. That put her above the limit for experienced motorists as well, meaning she would not even have been allowed to drive a car.
She accepted a settlement of 1,000 euros.
A steward on another flight measured 0.55 promille and paid 850 euros. A third cabin crew member tested at 0.28 promille, also above the legal limit.
Because he immediately demanded a counter-test, his final penalty has not yet been set.
A pilot also tested positive. Although he had been drinking, his reading stayed just under the criminal limit of 0.2 promille.
He was still handed a one-hour flying ban.
Zero tolerance
Aviation effectively runs on zero tolerance for alcohol: crew may not drink a drop in the ten hours before a flight. To rule out measurement errors, prosecutors only issue fines from 0.2 promille.
For comparison, a novice driver in the Netherlands may also blow at most 0.2 promille, about one glass. For experienced drivers the limit is 0.5.
The checks are not limited to Schiphol. Smaller airfields where private flights depart are also subject to regular unannounced inspections.
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