Four airline crew test positive for alcohol at Schiphol

A pilot and three cabin crew members tested positive for alcohol during a large-scale inspection at Schiphol on Wednesday morning.

The aviation policing team and the Koninklijke Marechaussee carried out breath tests on 707 pilots, stewards, and flight attendants between 06:45 and 10:15.

While the vast majority complied with aviation regulations, four crew members were found to have alcohol in their system before their flights.

Fines and flying bans

The highest reading came from a female flight attendant who blew 0.58 promille, roughly equivalent to three standard drinks. She accepted a settlement fine of 1,000 euros.

A male flight attendant on another flight tested at 0.55 promille and received an 850-euro fine.

A third cabin crew member recorded 0.28 promille, which also exceeds the legal limit, but requested an immediate counter-test, leaving his final penalty undecided.

The pilot tested positive but stayed just below the criminal prosecution threshold of 0.2 promille. Authorities issued the pilot an immediate one-hour flying ban.

Aviation alcohol rules

Aviation rules enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy, prohibiting crew members from drinking alcohol in the ten hours before departure.

Criminal fines are issued only starting from 0.2 promille to prevent measurement disputes, matching the legal driving limit for novice motorists.

Police conduct these unannounced checks at major hubs like Schiphol as well as smaller regional airports handling private flights.

Source: AD