Pilot found over legal drink limit

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Patrick Kyagera, who has since been sacked by Thomson Airways, was jailed for six months at Coventry Crown Court after pleading guilty at a previous hearing.

The 43-year-old pilot, from Purley in London, was due to fly more than 200 holidaymakers from Birmingham Airport to Gran Canaria when he was detained on December 22 last year.

A spokeswoman for Thomson Airways confirmed that the pilot was found to be over the legal alcohol limit for aviation workers, as set out in the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, when he reported for duty.

The spokeswoman said: "Thomson Airways adheres to a very strict alcohol and drugs policy and treats all such matters with the utmost importance.

"The employee concerned is now no longer with the company following their dismissal for this incident.

"The safety of passengers and crew is the airline's number one priority at all times and Thomson Airways takes a zero-tolerance approach to such behaviour amongst its staff."

According to reports, Captain Kyagera was performing pre-flight checks in the cockpit of a Boeing 757 when fellow crew members noticed that he smelled of drink.

A blood test taken after the pilot was removed from the aircraft showed a level of 42 milligrams of alcohol in 100ml of blood, more than twice the 20mg limit.

Judge Anthony Cleary told Captain Kyagera that he had put the lives of all those on board the aircraft at "unimaginable risk".