Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov on Tuesday called for harsher penalties to be imposed on excessive drinking among pilots and passengers on commercial flights.
“[Pilots] who have ingested prohibited medications or alcohol before a flight should face administrative measures, which may include firing,” Ivanov said at a Transportation Ministry meeting. He added that excessive drinking among passengers should also be subject to a harsher punishment.
Pilots with alcohol in their blood while on duty could lose their license for up to three years if the State Duma passes legislation tightening flight safety rules. In addition to repercussions for a drunk pilot, the authorities who allowed the pilot to operate the plane would face a fine of up to 15,000 rubles ($522).
The government began addressing the issue of flight sobriety after an Aeroflot Nord plane crashed near Perm last September, killing 82 passengers and almost colliding with an apartment building. In February, a government committee investigating the incident said the commander had traces of alcohol in his blood at time of the crash.
More recently, German airport authorities did not allow an S7 pilot to fly last month because of an alcohol test that showed a blood alcohol level of .5 percent. The pilot faced a criminal charge and a 1,000 euro ($1,500) fine, and the case is still being investigated by the company and Russia’s transportation prosecutor.
“We are absolutely against pilots drinking at least 24 hours before flying,” said Eduard Bychkov, deputy head of Russia’s pilots’ union. “Never before has [flying intoxicated] been such a problem,” said Bychkov, who says he has 40 years of flight experience. Before operating an airplane, pilots currently have to undergo a series of medical checks, including an alcohol test, one hour before the flight, so drunk pilots should be prevented from flying, he said.
The legislation would also introduce new fines for passengers who drink too much on flights. Drinking beverages with an alcohol content of more than 12 percent would carry a fine of up to 5,000 rubles if the new amendments are passed. The 500 ruble fine that Russian airlines currently levy for excessive drinking is much lighter than the punishment handed out by Western airlines, whose passengers may face arrest for similar behavior, Ivanov said Tuesday.
In February, the transportation prosecutor introduced new rules that don’t permit drunk passengers to board the airplane. In September, they said bars and restaurants in Moscow airports could be banned from serving alcohol, citing a regulatory law that limits the sale of liquor in crowded or dangerous areas.
It is not yet clear, however, whether authorities could limit liquor sales in duty-free stores, which is where many charter passengers load up on booze before flying out of Russia on vacation.
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