A flydubai flight from Kathmandu to Dubai was delayed for nearly 12 hours after a pilot was suspected by a colleague of being under the influence of alcohol when reporting for duty.

In a statement, flydubai said the pilot was scheduled to operate from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu to Dubai.

“Flydubai has a zero tolerance policy on flight crew found to be in contravention of the regulations regarding alcohol consumption,” a flydubai spokesperson told Aviation Business sister website Arabian Business.

“In line with these stringent rules, we conduct random tests on our operational staff. We further insist that anyone suspected of consuming alcohol prior to flight duty must be tested.”

In line with these requirements, the spokesperson added, the “crew member in question was immediately tested and discovered to have a blood alcohol level above the legally acceptable level and was therefore immediately deemed unfit to fly.”

“Arrangements were made to enable passengers to continue their journey to Dubai as soon as possible,” the spokesperson added.

“We apologise for the delay to their travel plans but the safety or our passengers and crew remains our top priority.”