Around 09:00 local time on January 20, 2024, a United Airlines pilot was arrested at Edinburgh Airport (EDI) following the alleged discovery of a Taser in his checked baggage. The incident occurred at a security checkpoint, and the pilot was preparing to fly the day’s service across the Atlantic to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
The flight, which was UAL37, a daily Boeing 757-200 service, was canceled today following the incident. According to reports from UK-based media outlet Mirror, the pilot was immediately removed from service pending investigationReactions to the incident
United was quick to respond to the situation, but the service disruption left passengers unable to get back across the Atlantic on time this afternoon. Both the airline and the airport are fully cooperating with the authorities, with Edinburgh Airport indicating as follows:
“We are aware an arrest on Saturday was made in connection with a firearms offense.”The incident was handled swiftly by the local police, and the resulting security threat was immediately addressed, according to reports from Edinburgh News. A spokesperson for Police Scotland indicated that the situation will be handled efficiently by the nation’s justice system in the following statement:
“He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, January 22, 2024. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”Tasers
Taser is a brand name used by a primary producer of Conductive Energy Devices (CEDs), which can generate over 50,000 volts of electricity. These devices allow electric current to pass through the air and clothing.
According to police, the taser’s voltage drops to 1,500 volts when it makes contact with a person and is delivered in short periods. The resulting shock can prevent a person from moving, which allows police officers to neutralize the threat posed by a particular individual.While the concept of pilots possessing weapons may seem dangerous, the practice is not entirely unheard of.
In the wake of the September 11th attacks, airlines began exploring the possibility of providing pilots with defensive weapons in order to prevent a potential hijacking.One carrier that actually pursued this strategy was United Airlines, which trained its pilots with CED-style stun guns in the early 2000s, according to The Washington Post. Flight attendants were also trained in self-defense maneuvers but were not armed with weapons, which were to remain securely locked in the cockpit at all times.The incident yesterday was not the first of its kind in recent memory, with cleaning crews discovering a handgun in a Delta Air Lines cockpit back in 2019. As reported by Simple Flying, the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) heightened security measures in the wake of September 11, 2001, including the establishment of a new program that would allow cockpit staff to be certified to possess handguns.The “Federal Flight Deck Officer” program allowed qualified pilots, flight engineers, navigators, and others the authorization to carry firearms. In the event of an attempted hijacking, the officers would be able to use their weapons to defend the aircraft and passengers against any kind of violent criminal activity.