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A Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) pilot has been sentenced in France after testing positive for cocaine during a random drug and alcohol screening following a flight to the French Riviera.
According to French newspaper Nice-Matin, the 45-year-old captain was arrested on Wednesday, June 10th after arriving at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE). The pilot was subjected to a random alcohol and drug test conducted by personnel from the French military air police and tested positive for cocaine.
French authorities immediately placed the pilot in custody. On Thursday, a French court sentenced him to a 10-month suspended prison sentence and imposed a one-year ban on flying over French territory. The pilot had been operating an SAS flight into Nice. Initial reports indicated that the flight had originated from Copenhagen Airport (CPH) and that the pilot was scheduled to continue onward to Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) in Sweden with a new group of passengers.
However, flight tracking information suggests that the aircraft involved in the disrupted operation was SAS flight SK 1827, operated by SAS Connect, which arrived in Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) from Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN). The return service, SAS flight SK 1828 from Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) to Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) was subsequently canceled following the pilot’s arrest.
The incident has raised concerns about flight crew fitness and compliance with aviation safety regulations. SAS has not publicly commented on the case beyond operational measures taken following the pilot’s removal from duty.
Anthony’s Take: French authorities continue to enforce strict alcohol and drug testing procedures for flight crews operating within the country, with violations carrying significant legal and professional consequences. Thankfully, this was discovered and nothing more serious occurred.
(Image Credits: SAS.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
