- A Delta Air Lines captain pleaded guilty to reporting for duty under the influence.
- Airport security officers reportedly found two bottles of Jägermeister in his luggage.
A Delta Air Lines captain has admitted he turned up for duty while over the legal alcohol limit, BBC News reported.
Lawrence Russell was due to fly a Boeing 767 from Edinburgh to New York last June.
Airport security officers found two bottles of Jägermeister in his luggage — one of which was half-empty, per the BBC.
The pilot was arrested after failing a breathalyzer test, and a blood sample found he was more than double the legal alcohol limit.
Edinburgh Sherrif Court heard Russell's sample was at least 49mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, The Sun reported. The UK's legal limit for pilots is 20mg per 100ml.
The pilot's lawyer gave the court a medical report of treatment Russell has been receiving for alcoholism, per the outlets.
Russell pleaded guilty to reporting for duty as a pilot while being impaired through drink or drugs. He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced later this month.
The airline told BI in a statement: "Delta does not comment on ongoing legal cases. Delta's alcohol policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation."
Last July, a United Airlines pilot who showed up intoxicated for a transatlantic flight was given a six-month suspended sentence.
The 63-year-old was due to fly from Paris to Washington DC but was more than six times over the legal alcohol limit.
"He was staggering slightly, his eyes were glassy, and his mouth pasty," a police officer told the court.