INDONESIA: Pilot Fired For Attempting To Fly A Citilink Plane While Drunk

Indonesian pilot has been fired after he was suspected of trying to fly a plane while he was “drunk”.

It comes as bizarre footage shows Tekad Purnawas, a pilot for Indonesian budget airline Citilink, stumbling through security at Surabaya airport on Wednesday.

In the clip, three security workers can be seen helping the captain pick up his belongings after he goes through the body scanner.

Apparently, the pilot somehow managed to make his way into the cockpit when he made an incoherent flight announcement as he was prepared to fly an Airbus A320 from Surabaya to the capital Jakarta.

One passenger posted a video online of the alleged slurred announcement showing people on board looking confused.

Many passengers decided to leave the plane soon after as they were suspicious that the pilot was drunk.

The pilot was eventually replaced by another captain at the request of passengers who left the plane before takeoff.

The one-hour-20-minute flight eventually departed an hour behind schedule with 154 passengers on board.

Citilink President Director Albert Burhan said in a statement yesterday: “Citilink is very serious about handling this matter.”

The airline, which is a subsidiary of national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, confirmed the pilot appeared “physically unfit”.

Earlier this year, two pilots were arrested at Glasgow Airport on ­suspicion of being too drunk to fly.

The pilots were nicked under section 93 of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003.

Jean-Francois Perreault, 39, and Imran Zafar Syed, 37, were charged under the same legislation after allegedly being under the influence of alcohol before they were due to fly from Glasgow to Canada.

The two men had been due to pilot an Air Transat jet with up to 250 people on board.