A Singapore Airlines pilot failed a blood alcohol test in Melbourne and prompted the cancellation of two flights on Saturday is a rare exception among the thousands of aviation workers tested in Australia.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority in the 2017-18 financial year carried out 12,130 drug and alcohol tests and got just eight positive results.
Of these, only three were for alcohol and five were for drugs, including three for codeine, across a range of aviation roles.
The regulator is able to test anybody other than passengers in an airport area and anybody responsible for a “safety-sensitive aviation activity” in areas beyond an aerodrome. People in safety-sensitive jobs range from pilots to engineers and air traffic controllers.
Anyone who returns a positive result is immediately prevented from performing safety-sensitive activities and is required to take a second test to confirm the results.
A CASA spokeswoman said they were not able to return to duty until they have been medically assessed, undergone rehabilitation where appropriate and given a medical clearance.
For pilots, however, a positive result can be particularly damaging.
In 2013, a Virgin Australia pilot failed a random breath test before he was due to fly out of Canberra was charged with a criminal offense and banned from flying with the carrier again.
He had been celebrating his birthday and recorded a blood alcohol level of 0.059, which is also above Australia’s legal driving limit, but had not yet boarded the plane. An attempt to appeal the conviction was unsuccessful.
In this latest case, the pilot has been returned to Singapore and suspended pending a full investigation by the airline as well as regulatory bodies in both countries.
His job is on the line after he was caught after CASA conducted a random drug and alcohol check on the crew prior to passengers boarding Flight SQ247 to Wellington on Saturday, September 15. The blood alcohol limit for pilots under Australian law is 0.02.
The removal of the Boeing 777 pilot meant neither SQ247 nor the return flight, SQ248, could be operated.
It was particularly bad timing for some passengers heading to a rugby championship game between South Africa’s Springboks and New Zealand’s All Blacks in Wellington that night.
It was also an embarrassment for the airline, which is considered among the world’s safest.
See our ratings for Singapore Airlines.
Singapore Airlines spokesman Karl Schubert said CASA undertook the random tests before the flight crew had started their pre-flight checks and the pilot failed because of his “higher than suitable” blood alcohol limit.
“The pilot in question was stood down and has been suspended from all duties effective immediately. he has returned to Singapore where a full investigation will be undertaken,’’ he said “We will also work closely with the Australian and Singaporean authorities to ensure they are supplied the information they require.
“We are unable to comment on the specifics, however the investigation will look at all of the facts and will consider what implications they have against our policies as well as the policies of Australian and Singaporean Air Services.
“We sincerely apologize to those affected by the cancellation of these flights. However, the safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority.”
Schubert said the airline worked with passengers to find suitable alternate travel arrangements as quickly as possible.
This included booking passengers attending the rugby match on other carriers, while passengers not attending the game were accommodated overnight and put on the Singapore service to Wellington on Sunday.
The CASA spokeswoman said the regulator could not comment on the Singapore Airlines ‘ incident other than to confirm a positive test occurred in Melbourne on the weekend.
Drug and alcohol testing is now required by many regulators and the European Union earlier this year extended mandatory alcohol testing to pilots and cabin crew of all airlines flying into its jurisdiction.
Testing is already well-established in many EU states but it will be extended to all member states within two years.
