KLM pilot detained for two weeks in Oslo for being drunk in service

According to Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) the KLM pilot who was taken in a promille check on Gardermoen on Friday is now captive. The man has appealed the ruling.

The pilot, who is flying for the Dutch airline KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, was charged with being drunk in service and was taken into captivity.

There he was imprisoned for 14 days, which was in line with the police’s request. “The man did not accept the sentence and appealed,” says lawyer Jon Granrud, in East Police District.

The appeal will most likely be dealt with by the Court of Appeal next week.

The police do not know how much the pilot had, since the sample has not yet been analyzed by the National Institute of Public Health.

“As the man is in custody, we will ask for the trial to be prioritized,” says Granrud.

The police attorney does not want to go into further detail of what the pilot has explained, other than refusing to be drunk.

According to the police attorney, the man is a foreign pilot with several years of seniority. He was not previously convicted of what the police know.

Defender Kristin Mork confirms that the pilot denies criminal charges. Regarding the man’s level of alcohol, she said that: “The level measured in routine control was illegal but low.”

Commenting on email, press contact in KLM, Carina Bergquist writes the following: “We confirm that a routine check was conducted in which one of our crew members was tested. Because there is an investigation, we do not currently want to comment on anything else beyond that. The safety of our passengers and crew has never been at risk, she writes. More generally, KLM would like to reassert its firm conviction that alcohol and flying do not go together. Safety is always our chief priority.“