United Airlines was forced to cancel its daily service from Edinburgh to Newark on Saturday after Scottish police reportedly arrested one of the pilots after a stun gun was discovered in his carry-on during routine security screening.
High-voltage stun guns like Tasers are officially classed as firearms in the United Kingdom and are strictly prohibited. Possessing a firearm can result in a lengthy jail sentence.
The 56-year-old male pilot has already been charged with a firearms offence and is expected to appear before a judge in Edinburgh on Monday. United Airlines confirmed that it has removed the unidentified pilot from service pending the outcome of the police investigation.
United Airlines flight 37 was due to depart Edinburgh at 9:25 am, but the airline is now scrambling to rebook disrupted passengers onto alternative services to the United States.
The Boeing 757 due to operate the flight has a capacity of up to 176 passengers.
According to local media, the stun gun was discovered by airport security staff during routine screening as the pilot and the other crew were making their way to the aircraft.
In the United Kingdom, there is no special dispensation afforded to aircrew that negates the requirement for the same level of security screening that regular passengers are subject to.
Last September, a flight attendant was arrested at Philadelphia Airport after she was caught trying to take a loaded handgun through the TSA security checkpoint. The loaded .380 calibre Ruger semiautomatic handgun was found in her purse and had five rounds in the magazine but no rounds in the chamber.
In the past, pilot and flight attendant unions in the United States have urged their members to double-check the contents of their bags before embarking on a trip, especially an international rotation, where weapons laws are very different to back at home.
They should have handed him a handgun and told him that if something happens on the flight he’s bringing a taser to a knife or gun fight.
I thought PIlots had permission to conceal and carry? Is that only on USA/Domestic routes then?
US laws only apply in the, well, US.
In the U K terrorist have more rights that the law abiding citizens.
At a minimum, every cockpit should have two stun guns as required inventory
prior to take off.
A taser may be illegal in the UK (stupid), but if it’s classified as a firearm, the British are out of their minds.