Probing into drunken Pilot Upendra begins

Probing into drunken Pilot Upendra begins

For the delay of 15 hours that occurred in the Sri Lanka Airline flight from Frankfurt Germany to the Bandaranaike International airport on last Friday the 19th instant was attributed to the fact that the chief pilot captain Upendra Ranaweera was found drunk and had failed the

breathalyser test carried out by the authorities at the Frankfort airport.

In this connection the authorities of the Sri Lankan airlines have commenced a special investigation into the incident of the interdicted captain Upendra Ranaweera.

The drunken chief pilot had arrived in Sri Lanka on the 21st instant and is due to face the investigation.

The related flight UL 554 carrying 259 passengers 14 crew members was to leave Frankfurt at 3.20pm.But as the Chief Pilot had fallen at the airport a medical investigation had been carried out which had proved that his body was inflicted with alcohol.

The cost that been incurred for payment of compensation, board and lodging of passengers, for having kept the aircraft stationery at the airport had amounted to rupees two and a half billion.