A SAS flight attendant was detained by police in Denmark last week after testing positive in an alcohol check linked to a flight, according to Swedish media reports. The Scandinavian airline said it is treating the case “very seriously” and reiterated its zero-tolerance policy on alcohol and drugs while on duty.
What happened on the SAS flight in Denmark
Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet reported that a female SAS flight attendant was taken into police custody on board an SAS aircraft in Denmark after blowing positive in an alcohol test. Danish broadcaster TV 2 later relayed the report and said the crew member had been described as intoxicated.
SAS did not provide details about the employee’s nationality, the route involved or the exact airport where the incident took place. The airline said it could not comment further because the matter is part of a police process and a personnel case.
SAS says it has zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs on duty
In a written statement to Aftonbladet, SAS press chief Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji said the airline has zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs while on duty and that it views the incident “very seriously”.
The wording mirrors a previous statement made by SAS after another alcohol-related case involving cabin crew at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in late February.
Second alcohol case involving SAS staff in just over a month
According to Aftonbladet, this is the second time in a little over a month that an SAS employee has tested positive for alcohol in connection with a flight.
At the end of February, another flight attendant tested positive during a random police control at Arlanda, Sweden’s main airport. At the time, SAS also reiterated its zero-tolerance policy and declined to comment on the consequences for the employee involved.
Why the Denmark incident matters for Scandinavian aviation
Cases involving alcohol among airline crew are rare, but they are treated as serious safety issues because cabin crew are part of the operational safety chain on commercial flights. In Scandinavia, as elsewhere in Europe, airlines and airport authorities can carry out checks before or after flights, and any confirmed breach can trigger both police and employment procedures.
For SAS, the new case is also reputationally sensitive because it comes only weeks after the earlier Arlanda incident. That timing is likely to raise questions about internal controls, reporting routines and how the airline handles staff fitness for duty.
What is still unclear after the Denmark arrest
Several points remain unconfirmed. Neither SAS nor the reports cited by Danish and Swedish media have specified the crew member’s nationality, the level of alcohol detected, whether the flight was delayed or cancelled, or what legal or disciplinary consequences may follow.
More information may emerge once Danish authorities or SAS clarify the timeline of the incident. For now, the case stands as another reminder of the strict fitness-for-duty rules that apply across the aviation sector in Denmark, Sweden and the wider European market.
