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Drunk Pilot Stopped Minutes Before Takeoff At Manchester Airport

A pilot has been arrested at Manchester Airport minutes before the plane was set to depart.

The 62-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of performing an aviation function while over the prescribed alcohol limit, Greater Manchester Police revealed, on Friday. The force said officers “received a report that an airline pilot may have been under the influence of alcohol”. In the U.S., pilots who try to fly or succeed in flying drunk can face criminal charges and up to 15 years in prison, Quartz reports.

Japan’s problem with drunk pilots came into focus last year, after a pilot reported to work with alcohol levels nine times the legal limit of 0.2%. Japan requires pilots to refrain from drinking in the eight hours before they fly—the same as in the U.S., where the blood alcohol limit for pilots is 0.4%, half of the limit for vehicle drivers.

The explosion of social media has allowed for total transparency of the actions of individuals as well as companies. 20 years ago, if this story wasn’t picked up by a major news network, you may never have read about it. But now? Now it can appear on several socials feeds within a few seconds. The image of the pilot and the name of the company can be plastered across every social feed or TV screen in minutes. So how much do you care about your company’s image?