Allegedly drunk pilot arrested before England-to-Philadelphia flight
MANCHESTER, England -- An American Airlines pilot has been arrested on suspicion of being intoxicated on a plane before it left England for Philadelphia.
The 62-year-old man was detained Thursday morning at Manchester Airport after someone reported him to police.
The flight was canceled, and all passengers were re-booked onto a different flight.
They are expected to arrive Friday afternoon.
It is not known if the person was the captain or a first officer.
Police say the man, whose name was not released, has been bailed pending further inquiries.
The airline says it is "fully cooperating with local law enforcement" over the incident and released the following statement:
"American Airlines is aware of an incident involving a member of its crew at Manchester Airport earlier this morning. The employee was detained and the flight, AA735 to Philadelphia, has been cancelled. Safety is our highest priority and we apologize to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans, we have re-booked them on alternative flights. We are fully cooperating with local law enforcement and further questions should be referred to them."
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