Drunken Delta pilot arrested in Scotland before flight to New York

A Delta Air Lines pilot was arrested in Edinburgh, Scotland, at 10 a.m. local time Friday before a flight was set to take off for New York. He was accused of having alcohol over the legal blood limit in his system.

The pilot, Lawrence Russell Jr., a 62-year-old Georgian, appeared in Edinburgh Sheriff Court Monday and is due back next week, according to media reports.

Mr. Russell entered no plea. If convicted, he will face a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

Scottish law enforcement did not say how much alcohol was purportedly in the pilot’s blood at the time of arrest.

Under the U.K.’s Railways and Transport Safety Act of 2003, the legal blood alcohol limit for members of a plane’s crew is 0.02%.

Delta Air Lines canceled the flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport and accommodated its passengers. The air carrier is cooperating with the law enforcement investigation into the incident.

“Delta‘s alcohol policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation,” a company spokesperson told Insider.