A former British Airways pilot who turned up for work to fly 300 passengers while four times over the legal alcohol limit has been jailed. Julian Monaghan, 49, was hauled off a BA 777 by armed police just before it flew to Mauritius after failing a breath test in the cockpit.

Monaghan admitted he started drinking at 10.15am in his hotel room at Gatwick airport after flying into Heathrow overnight from South Africa. He drank three miniature bottles of vodka, mixed with coke, before he was due to be a pilot on the 21.20 flight.

The doors were closed and the flight was about to push back when police boarded and he was led away in handcuffs. British Airways rules prohibit staff from drinking eight hours before work. He was found to have 86mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system. The limit for pilots is 20mg.

Today he was jailed for eight months and the court heard he will never be able to fly commercially again. Monaghan was part of part of a crew flying from Gatwick to Mauritius on 18th January this year.

Airport technician Verity McAllen noticed a smell of alcohol on his breath despite Monaghan chewing gum as final checks were carried out on the plane.

She reported her concerns and police arrived and took him to Crawley police station. The flight was delayed by one hour and 40 minutes.

Monaghan admitted drinking on the flight from South Africa to London but said he had stopped before the eight-hour limit and was surprised by the high alcohol reading.

As soon as the blood tests confirmed the reading, he resigned from British Airways.

Monaghan, who divides his time between South Africa and Harmondsworth, West London, admitted being over the limit when he appeared at Crawley Magistrates’ Court, in Sussex, on 6th June and was sent to Crown Court at Lewes for sentencing.

Her Honour Judge Janet Waddicor said passengers and public had the right to expect commercial pilots not to be over the alcohol limit. She reduced his sentence from 12 months because of his early guilty plea.

She added: ‘The limits for pilots are pitched deliberately low because of the responsibility which attaches to the job.

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