Drunk flydubai pilot delays delays flight for 10 hours

A Dubai-bound flight from Nepal was delayed by nearly 10 hours after the pilot was found to be under the influence of alcohol, officials said.

The flydubai flight eventually left Katmandu with a different crew.

Crew members alerted airport officials that the pilot seemed impaired by alcohol less than an hour before the flight was scheduled to take off on Sunday morning.

"A breathalyzer test showed he had consumed alcohol. A medical test confirmed the result," the Tribhuvan International Airport general manager, Raj Kumar Chettri, said.

Flydubai’s headquarters was informed and the flight with 154 passengers on board was suspended until the new crew arrived, Arab News reported.

Authorities did not disclose the pilot’s nationality.