Two Pilots Fail Mandatory Air India Drug Test
Screening launched after Phuket-Delhi flight incident covers pilots of Air India and Air India Express
New Delhi: Two pilots of the Air India Group have failed the initial drug screening after their results came out “non-negative”, and their samples have been sent for confirmatory tests, according to sources cited by news agencies on Monday.
Air India and Air India Express had on August 13 made psychoactive substance testing mandatory for all their pilots, widening the checks beyond existing regulatory requirements.
The move followed an August 4 incident involving an Air India Phuket-Delhi flight, whose captain later tested positive for marijuana.
Sources said tests had so far been completed on around 400 pilots of the Air India Group. Of them, two returned “non-negative” results in the initial screening. Their samples have now been sent for confirmatory testing. There was no official comment from Air India.
The two Tata Group-owned airlines have more than 5,000 pilots. The comprehensive screening covers substances and medications prohibited under prevailing aviation regulations.
On August 4, Air India flight AI2379, an Airbus A320neo flying from Phuket to Delhi, lost around 300 feet in altitude during cruise amid turbulence. The aircraft was carrying 145 people, including 137 passengers and eight crew members, and at least 24 people were injured.
The pilot-in-command had initially returned a “non-negative” result for a psychoactive substance, with a confirmatory test subsequently detecting marijuana.
Following the incident, the Air India Group told pilots that although it complied with all drug-testing requirements prescribed by the DGCA, it had decided to go further and screen all group pilots for prohibited substances or medications.
