Newcastle Airport air traffic controllers keep jobs after drink-driving convictions.

Posted on June 29th, 2010

The CAA has allowed 3 air traffic controllers who were convicted of drink-driving convictions to keep their jobs. However airline watchdogs have called on the industry to dismiss controllers that have been convicted of a drink-driving offence.

The three staff at Newcastle Airport were caught drink-driving and reported to the Civil Aviation Authority. Another air traffic controller quit after being caught over the limit on the way to work.

The CAA does have the power to dismiss staff but this didn’t happen in these cases. The CAA instead put these employees through a Substance Misuse Clinic for assessment and determined that these were one off offences and there were no issues with alcoholic addiction.