Two years ago, a (now ex-) British Airways pilot made headlines after having a drug and alcohol-fueled Johannesburg layover that resulted in a canceled flight and him being fired from BA as well as losing his license.
Apparently, his fortunes have turned, and he was able to regain his pilot’s license from the British CAA. He also found an employer who was willing to give him a second chance as a cargo pilot.
The former British Airways pilot was unceremoniously fired after he engaged in an alcohol & drug-fueled bender ahead of his flight from Johannesburg back to London and made the mistake of confessing his behavior to a co-worker.
A text message to a cabin crew colleague resulted in him being reported to the company, who immediately ordered a spot test of the pilot before he was able to commandeer the flight home.
The flight was delayed overnight (effectively canceled that day) before the company was able to find another First Officer to fly the plane back to Heathrow, all while the offending pilot was immediately put on leave and later terminated by BA.
I covered this back then in an article when it came to light :
To Fly, To Snort: British Airways Pilot Fired After Alcohol & Drug Fueled Party In Johannesburg
According to The Daily Star, the young man has now been given a second chance to continue his aviation career, satisfying the CAA that he’s fit to receive his license back and he found a job with a cargo operator.
A British Airways pilot’s booze and drug-fuelled antics led to him being sacked from the passenger airline in 2023 – but one company has now given him a second chance.
A British Airways pilot who was sacked for snorting cocaine off a woman’s chest has been given a second chance and is back in the cockpit. …
Beaton, a dad from Devon, tested positive and was later sacked, but he is now back in the cockpit working for European Cargo, a freight carrier based in Bournemouth.
A furious aviation source told The Sun: “I think it’s disgusting that he was allowed to fly planes again after what he did… The [Civil Aviation Authority] should have banned him from the flight deck for life.”
The CAA said a medical certificate required for pilots would be reinstated if the authority was “completely satisfied”. European Cargo has said all pilots meet CAA standards. …
In 2023, a BA captain told the Mail Online that “pilot colleagues” felt “hugely let down” by his actions. The pilot, who remained anonymous, said it is “beyond rare” and “unthinkable” for an airline pilot to be affected by alcohol while they are in the cockpit.
Incidents of pilots being affected by drink or drugs in the cockpit remain extremely rare.
I’m torn about this. On one hand, I think this was obviously an extremely stupid thing to do, and this behavior endangered people who were under his care. Total absence of good judgment and responsibility you’d expect from a pilot. It makes you wonder what other shortcuts he took when nobody was watching.
He should be able to turn his life around and apparently did so. I’m sure there were very high hurdles to pass for the CAA to be satisfied with his condition to hand him back a license.
Flying cargo doesn’t directly endanger passengers on board (except for his captain and possible crew) but there is still plenty of responsibility involved. Let’s hope he learned his lesson, but I can’t help but wonder if this new employer lowballed him on the salary to let him fly at all!?
In any case, the cited BA captain’s statement that alcohol consumption is “beyond rare” is a joke. Pilots frequently drink on their layovers, and that can often be observed at certain crew hotels.
The Hilton Narita even has a vending machine with beers in their crew lounge:
And then, there were the recent incidents of Japan Airlines pilots who caused flights to be canceled and heavily delayed due to being drunk and failing an alcohol test.
While everyone reacts differently to alcohol, let’s not act like pilots are choir boys when it comes to drinking and partying during their layovers.
What is more worrisome for the ex-BA pilot in question is his use of hard drugs. This alone should have been a disqualifier for holding an aviation license ever again, no matter if passenger or cargo traffic.
Conclusion
Back in 2023, an ex-British Airways pilot rostered as First Officer on a London-Johannesburg-London rotation went on an alcohol and drug-laden party before reporting for duty to fly back to Heathrow. His employment was then terminated by BA and he also lost his license – until recently.
Following a review process that apparently took a bit under two years, the young man managed to get his license back and obtained a new job with a British cargo operator. The company apparently entrusts him to fly responsibly, and hopefully, he learned from his stupid missteps in South Africa.
Alcohol and drugs don’t mix well with jobs that require a high grade of responsibility. I don’t want my surgeon, pilot, train operator, or even a bus driver to be drugged out of his mind.
