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A United Airlines from Scotland to New York was canceled after 2 pilots were arrested on suspicion of drinking before they were meant to fly

Aug 5, 2019, 17:31 IST

United Airlines Boeing 757-224 aircraft is airborne as it departs Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California USA - ImageShutterstock

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  • Police in Scotland arrested two United Airlines pilots suspected of being drunk less than two hours before they were meant to fly from Glasgow to Newark on Saturday.
  • Officers arrested the two pilots, aged 45 and 61, at 7:35 a.m. local time. The flight was meant to start at 9 a.m.
  • United Airlines immediately canceled the flight and rerouted passengers to other airlines.
  • The pilots face up to two years in prison.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

United Airlines canceled a flight from Scotland to New York on Saturday, after two pilots on the service were arrested on suspicion of being drunk.

Scottish police took a 45-year-old man and a 61-year-old man into custody after officers were called to the airport at 7:35 a.m. local time, the BBC reported.

They proceeded to fail a breath test, the BBC and Scotland's Herald newspaper reported.

The pair, who were not named, were due to pilot Flight UA162 from Glasgow Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport at 9 a.m. that morning.

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United Airlines canceled the flight shortly afterward, and rerouted the passengers on other airlines, The Herald reported, citing Scottish police.

In this March 15, 2017, photo, people stand in line at a United Airlines counter at LaGuardia Airport in New York. A dog died on a United Airlines plane after a flight attendant ordered its owner to put the animal in the plane's overhead bin.Seth Wenig/AP

Officers have since charged the pair under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, The Herald reported.

The pilot face up to two years in prison. They are scheduled in court on Tuesday.

Read more: A Delta pilot was pulled off the plane he was due to fly and arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol

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United Airlines said in a statement to the BBC: "We hold all of our employees to the highest standards and have a strict, no-tolerance policy for alcohol."

"These pilots were immediately removed from service and we are fully cooperating with local authorities," it added.

"At this time, we are working to get our customers back on their journey as soon as possible."

NOW WATCH: Here's what airlines legally owe you if you're bumped off a flight

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