A BRITISH Airways captain has been sacked after turning up stinking of alcohol for regulatory flight simulator training.
Martin Vennard was grounded immediately after bosses smelt booze on his breath at Heathrow.
The veteran captain with 45 years’ flying experience, believed to be from Crewe, Cheshire, has now been given the boot after a full investigation.
His dismissal has sent shockwaves through the airline.
A source said: “Flying the simulator is a legal requirement and taken as seriously as flying a plane full of passengers.
"Turning up reeking of alcohol is a career-ending act.”
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In a separate incident, a British Airways pilot has been suspended over claims he drunkenly assaulted three female crew members.
The first officer, a married man in his 50s, was said to have flown into a rage during a boozy night out between flights.
He was flown home from South Africa in disgrace as a passenger on a different flight.
British Airways said last night: “We set and expect the highest standards from our colleagues and take necessary action on the rare occasions they’re not met.”