A veteran Delta pilot who allegedly showed up drunk on a flight from Scotland to New York has been charged with reckless conduct and ordered not to fly over British airspace.
Lawrence Russell Jr., 62, was charged on Friday under Britain’s Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, which imposes alcohol restrictions on crew members.
He appeared at Edinburgh Security Court on Monday, where no statement was made, and was detained “in custody for further inquiry”, according to a police spokesman. told ABC News.
Russell was due to appear in court again “within the next eight days,” but was granted bail by Sheriff Gordon Riddle during a brief video conference on Wednesday. According to Edinburgh News.
One of the conditions for the release is that you cannot fly in British airspace until the case is resolved.
Russell, whose address is “Georgia, USA,” also spent the weekend in custody, the newspaper said.
He was accused of exceeding the legal limit on Friday when he showed up at Edinburgh airport to board flight DL209, which was canceled last minute because passengers bound for JFK Airport had already boarded.
In Scotland, the legal blood alcohol limit for airline personnel is 20 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. For drivers, 100 milliliters of blood contains 50 milligrams of alcohol.
Delta said in a statement last week: “Delta Air Lines has confirmed that one of its crew members was detained at EDI Airport this morning.
The airline said it has “the strictest alcohol policy in the industry and will not tolerate any violations.”
