Stobart Air will operate some services from London City on behalf of British Airways in a deal similar to one involving Aer Lingus and Cityjet that faces a potential competition law investigation. Cityjet last month transferred its Dublin-London City Airport route to Aer Lingus but provides the aircraft and crew to operate the service under an agreement known in aviation industry as a wet lease. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority is investigating whether the Aer Lingus-Cityjet agreement qualifies as a merger, and if so, if it limits competition on the route. Stobart is spending E36m leasing 2 Embraer 190 craft over 3 years on the back of its agreement with British Airways. The airline has also begun hiring 40 extra people, 10 captains and first officers and 30 cabin crew, as a result of the deal. <br/>
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A Japan Airlines co-pilot arrested after failing a breath test shortly before a London to Tokyo flight has pleaded guilty to being almost 10 times over the legal limit for alcohol London's Metropolitan Police force say Katsutoshi Jitsukawa appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates Court in west London Thursday and admitted to exceeding the alcohol limit. The airline said the co-pilot was arrested Sunday at Heathrow. The driver of a crew bus at Heathrow smelled alcohol on Jitsukawa and reported it to police. Tests found the 42-year-old first officer had 189 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in his system, almost 10 times the 20mg limit for a pilot. JAL said the flight was delayed more than an hour and had to be operated by the remaining 2 pilots. <br/>
Police say a baggage handler told them he was drunk when he fell asleep in a cargo hold and flew from Kansas City to Chicago. American Airlines says the Piedmont Airlines employee was working American Flight 363 Saturday when the Boeing 737 left Kansas City International with the handler in a heated and pressurised cargo hold. A Chicago Police spokesman says he was found when the flight landed about an hour later at Chicago's O'Hare. The spokesman says the handler told police he was intoxicated and had fallen asleep. No charges were filed, and he was sent back to Kansas City. American says it is grateful the handler wasn't injured and it's reviewing what happened. <br/>