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A Latvian Air Baltic pilot and three crew members were pulled off a Greece-bound passenger plane in Oslo early Saturday after failing a breathalyser test before take-off, Norwegian police said.
“Results of the breathalyser tests confirmed that four of the five crew members  ... were above the legal alcohol limit of 0.2 promille,” Romerike police prosecutor Edith Ek Sorensen said.
The pilot, co-pilot and two stewardesses, all from Latvia and employed by Air Baltic, were taken into police custody and escorted to hospital for blood tests to confirm the breathalyser tests.
Results were expected later.
Sorensen said police had acted after receiving a tip-off from an anonymous caller at around 4am local time.
AirBaltic spokesman Janis Vanags said the company had a “zero-tolerance” policy on alcohol while on duty.
“Zero tolerance means no alcohol,” Vanags said. “It’s very straightforward  - safety is our number one priority.”
“There has been an initial test and that is being followed up with more detailed tests. When we have the results we will take appropriate action,” he added, offering the company’s apologies to customers. 
The four risk up to two years in prison if found guilty.
Sorensen would not comment on the flight’s destination, but Norwegian daily Dagbladet said it was a tour group flight operated by the Norwegian group Startour headed for Chania, Greece, with 109 passengers on board.
There have been previous cases in other countries where drunk crew or passengers delayed or interrupted flights. In January in China, a drunk male passenger sparked a new mid-air safety scare after allegedly trying to open an aircraft’s emergency exit as it prepared to land.
The man, surnamed Feng, reportedly attempted to force open the door of a Hainan Airlines flight after fighting with flight attendants and other passengers.
However, air marshals on board the aircraft stopped him opening the door, witnesses told reporters of Beijing’s Mirror newspaper reported.
In April last year, a drunk passenger sparked a hijack alert on a Virgin Australia flight heading for the Indonesian resort island of Bali when he attempted to break into the cockpit.
Indonesian authorities later arrested Matt Christopher Lockley, an Australian national. The crew later said it was a "miscommunication".
A flight attendant said Lockley had demanded medicine and started banging on the cockpit door.


This is your captain slurring: pilot, stewardesses kicked off Europe flight after flunking alcohol breath test

Four Air Baltic crew were taken into police custody in Norway to confirm their alcohol levels. Photo: Wikicommons

Terror on Chinese flight as passenger tries to start fire 'with petrol and lighter'

The passenger attempts to set a fire using petrol and a cigarette lighter. Photo: Weibo

Photo posted on Weibo of damaged seat on Flight ZH9648.

Drunk Australian sparks hijack fear on Virgin Australia flight to Bali

Indonesian police arrest Virgin Australia passenger Matt Christopher in Bali. Photo: Reuters

Bali Airport, where a plane has reportedly been forced to land after a hijacking

Members of the security forces stand near the plane. Photo: EPA

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