Copilot on TAP Air Portugal flight to Lisbon said to be ‘reeking of alcohol and walking unsteadily’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

More than 100 passengers have been stranded at Stuttgart airport after a co-pilot was found drunk in the cockpit just before takeoff.

The airline, TAP Air Portugal, apologised after having to cancel the flight “due to the pilot’s incapacity”.

The flight was grounded after an airport employee saw the pilot “reeking of alcohol and walking unsteadily” and informed airport authorities, a police statement said.

Police entered the cockpit and found the 40-year-old man in a “highly intoxicated condition” on Friday evening.

Stuttgart prosecutors immediately suspended the copilot’s flying licence and fixed bail of €10,000 (£9,000).

The German news agency DPA reported that all 106 passengers were accommodated at hotels on Friday night.

TAP said on Twitter that passengers would not be flown to Lisbon until Monday, the first day with seats available.

The airline also said it would launch an internal investigation and would “act accordingly, taking the necessary and consequent measures”.