LONDON — Authorities say two commercial airline pilots have been arrested at Glasgow Airport on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol, shortly before they were due to take off on a trans-Atlantic flight.
Canadian airline Air Transat says the two crew members were arrested before a Glasgow to Toronto flight on Monday.
Police in Scotland say the men, aged 37 and 39, are due to appear in court Tuesday, charged with being “impaired through alcohol.”
The airline said it will “await the results of the investigation and judicial proceedings” before commenting further.
Passengers were put up in hotels while they waited for a new flight to Toronto on Tuesday, the company said.
Television personalities Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan – best known for their interior design shows on HGTV and other networks – were among the passengers whose travel plans were derailed by the arrests.
They voiced their frustration at the cancellation on social media while expressing relief that steps had been taken to ensure travellers’ safety.
“We’re 24 hours late heading to Toronto,” the pair, who are from Glasgow but also own homes in Toronto and the Muskoka region, said in a post on Instagram. “However – better to arrive late in this world than early in the next.”
As they boarded the rescheduled flight Tuesday, McAllister told the Scottish Sun newspaper that the mood in the plane was good and that people were “reassured and practical.”
Air Transat runs charter and scheduled flights between Canada and several European and Caribbean destinations.