Airport staff allegedly detected alcohol on Captain Harwell's breath

The boss of Virgin Atlantic has spoken of the "terrible weekend" which resulted in one of its pilots being charged with attempting to fly an aircraft while under the influence of alcohol.

Chief Executive Steve Ridgway told BBC News how staff were shocked and saddened. He said it was the first time such an incident had taken place in the company's almost 20-year history.

Captain Richard Harwell, 55, was arrested on Friday night shortly before he was due to fly thousands of miles across the Atlantic from Washington DC to Heathrow.

The Virgin flight VS22 - flown by a replacement crew - landed just after 0930GMT on Sunday.

Captain Harwell, who is American but lives with his family near Oxford in the UK, was held after airport staff allegedly detected alcohol on his breath as he underwent routine pre-flight security checks.

'Stunned silence'

Mr Ridgway said the pilot - who had worked for Virgin for 14 years - was arrested as he went through the airport on his way to fly the plane.

Passengers have told how there was a "stunned silence" throughout the aircraft when passengers were told the pilot had allegedly been drinking.

They were put up in hotels to wait, while a new crew was sought for the plane.

It is totally out of character and everyone here is very shocked Steve Ridgway Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive

Mr Ridgeway said the pilot had a previously unblemished career with the airline.

"It is totally out of character and everyone at Virgin is very shocked.

"We have been flying almost 20 years now and we have never had anyone charged in this way before."

He said Mr Harwell would have been aware of the rules, which forbid crew members to have any consumption of alcohol for at least eight hours before a flight.

"We just don't know what has happened here," he said.

But he added that the safety of passengers was of paramount concern to the company.

Mr Ridgway was at Heathrow to see passengers as they returned and he said that compensation has already been offered to them initially in the form of free flights.

"Clearly many of them were tired, fed up and angry and I cannot blame them," he said.

Earlier, a spokeswoman for Dulles airport in Washington said security officials alerted a Virgin supervisor having observed Mr Harwell passing through the ticket counter area.

Virgin Atlantic told the BBC it operated a strict no-alcohol policy and an internal inquiry was being started.

Bail

Captain Harwell was escorted off the plane by Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority Police and charged with attempting to operate an aircraft while under the influence of alcohol.

A Virgin spokesman said he was still in custody and the issue of bail would be established later.

"We will be talking to him and the authorities over the coming weeks to find out what has happened," he added.

Stranded passenger Peter Markham told BBC News: "First we were told it was a security problem and then that catering services were a bit late.

"The passengers took that for a little while but eventually they began to realise there was more to it and Virgin Atlantic had to tell us what exactly was the problem, but it took a long time."

Virgin Atlantic spokesman Paul Moore said: "The safety and security of our passengers at Virgin Atlantic is our paramount priority."