Overview
- In May two Swiss pilots who had drunk together at their crew hotel in Geneva were removed from a scheduled Airbus A220 flight after colleagues reported that they appeared intoxicated.
- Colleagues alerted supervisors before boarding, Swiss replaced the pilots and says the men never sat intoxicated in the cockpit.
- On‑site alcohol tests reportedly confirmed the pilots were unfit for duty, prompting the airline to suspend both staff members while investigations continue.
- The Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation (Bazl) was informed and Swiss says medical checks and an administrative review are under way, with potential disciplinary steps up to dismissal.
- The case highlights the checks that airlines use to manage alcohol risk — European law sets a 0.2‰ threshold but many carriers, including Swiss, enforce a practical zero‑promille rule and abstinence windows before duty.