United Airlines flight from Glasgow to Newark is cancelled when BOTH pilots are arrested for turning up 'drunk' - two years after pilots were jailed for the same offence on the same flight

  • Today's 9am flight from Glasgow Airport to Newark in New Jersey was cancelled
  • The pilots, aged 61 and 45, were arrested for failing a breath test before the flight
  • They are both due to appear in court on Tuesday, according to Police Scotland
  • Were you on the cancelled flight? Let us know: danny.hussain@mailonline.co.uk 

Two pilots have been arrested after a flight from Glasgow Airport to New Jersey was cancelled this morning because they turned up 'drunk'.  

They were arrested by police on suspicion of being under the influence of drink or drugs before boarding the United Airlines flight.

The flight, number UA162 to Newark in New Jersey, was due to leave Glasgow Airport at 9am, but was cancelled after the pair's arrest.

Both men are pilots, aged 61 and 45, a Police Scotland spokesman confirmed, and are due to appear in court on Tuesday.

Furious passengers took to social media to vent their frustrations at United Airlines, as they waited for more than an hour before being told the flight was cancelled. 

Remarkably, the incident comes three years after two other United Airlines pilots were arrested for being drunk before flying the Glasgow Airport to Newark route. 

First Officer Paul Grebenc, 35, was sentenced to 10 months in prison while his colleague Carlos Roberto Licona, 45, was jailed for 15 months for attempting to fly  while under the influence of alcohol.

Paul Grebenc
Carlos Roberto Licona

Today's arrests come two years after United Airlines pilots Paul Grebenc, 35 (left), and Carlos Roberto Licona (right), were jailed for also being drunk before flying the Glasgow Airport to Newark route

A police spokesman said about today's incident: 'Police Scotland can confirm that two men aged 61 and 45 years old have been arrested and remanded in custody pending a scheduled court appearance on Tuesday August 6 on suspicion of offences under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, section 97.'

One passenger wrote on Twitter: 'UA162 from Glasgow delayed - boarding was announced at 8.15am, but nothing has happened - they just announced that the flight crew hasn't arrived. Really? Is this the best you can do UA? Some people have connecting flights to catch in Newark!!!'

A follow-up tweet from the passenger read: 'UA162 is now delayed by over an hour and still no crew. Totally unacceptable!! The least you could do is hand out some refreshments to the passengers.' 

Another passenger tweeted after the cancellation: 'Can I have an honest answer as to why the GLA to EWR has been cancelled?' 

United Airlines replied: 'Thanks for reaching out. We regret that our flight for today from GLA to EWR, UA162, has been cancelled because of crew availability.' 

The airline has been contacted for comment.  

The limit for alcohol in the breath for pilots specified as 9 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres - less than half the 22 microgrammes limit for drivers in Scotland.

The law covers offences where aviation staff are intoxicated by either alcohol or drugs, with punishments of up to two years in prison or a fine if found guilty.

United Airlines pilots Jean-Francois Perreault, 41 (left), and Imran Zafar Syed, 39 (right), were arrested minutes before a flight from Glasgow to Toronto was due to take off for being drunk in 2016 - but were released after officials accidentally destroyed blood samples

United Airlines pilots Jean-Francois Perreault, 41 (left), and Imran Zafar Syed, 39 (right), were arrested minutes before a flight from Glasgow to Toronto was due to take off for being drunk in 2016 - but were released after officials accidentally destroyed blood samples

The flight, number UA162 to Newark in New Jersey, was due to leave Glasgow Airport at 9am, but was cancelled (stock photo)

The flight, number UA162 to Newark in New Jersey, was due to leave Glasgow Airport at 9am, but was cancelled (stock photo)

A spokesman for Glasgow Airport said: 'This morning Police Scotland did attend before the United Airlines flight UA162, going to Newark.

'The flight was subsequently cancelled.'

It is the latest in a string of incidents to hit pilots flying from Glasgow Airport.  

Licona and Grebenc were arrested at the airport on suspicion of being too drunk to fly their transatlantic passenger jet from Scotland to the US in August 27, 2016. 

They were later jailed for 15 months and 10 months respectively. 

On July 18, 2016, Air Transat pilots Jean-Francois Perreault, 41, and Imran Zafar Syed, 39, were arrested minutes before a flight from Glasgow to Toronto was due to take off. 

Blood tests found they were above the legal alcohol limit but the case collapsed in 2018 when prison staff destroyed some of the samples and they managed to avoid jail. 

Meanwhile, on a United Airlines flight from Newark to Glasgow in September 2018, the plane captain was spotted having a nap. 

Passengers were stunned when they saw the captain change out of his uniform and get some sleep in first class, just an hour into their flight. 

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