Pilot Fired for ‘Snorting Coke’ Before Flight Rehired by Different Airline

A British pilot who was fired after it was discovered he had snorted cocaine off a woman’s breasts before attempting to fly has been rehired by another airline.

Mike Beaton, a former British Airways pilot, was dismissed in 2023 after the airline learned he spent the night before a flight partying in South Africa. British Airways was forced to cancel the flight from Johannesburg to London, reportedly costing the company around £93,000 or close to $121,000.

Beaton, a married father of one, detailed his wild night to a friend, boasting about partying with women and using cocaine in messages later obtained by The Sun. “That’s the story of how I ended up snorting coke off a girl’s t**s in Joburg,” the text thread allegedly sent by Beaton concluded.

Still, Beaton showed up prior to the scheduled flight. “I’ve been a very naughty boy,” he reportedly confessed to a flight attendant.

Despite the scandal, Beaton has returned to the cockpit, now working for European Cargo. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) typically suspends a pilot’s certification following drug use, insisting that reinstatement only occurs if officials are “completely satisfied” with a pilot’s fitness to fly.

“I think it’s disgusting that he was allowed to fly planes again after what he did. The CAA should have banned him from the flight deck for life,” a source in aviation told The Sun.

European Cargo defended its hiring process, stating that all its pilots meet CAA safety standards.