Tests will screen for substances and medications prohibited under aviation regulations
Air India has been under heightened scrutiny since a June 12 crash involving a Boeing Dreamliner that killed 260 people. PHOTO: PIXABAY
Air India will begin mandatory substance testing for all pilots on Thursday, expanding checks beyond regulatory requirements days after a pilot involved in a serious mid-air incident tested positive for marijuana, according to an internal memo.
The tests will screen for substances and medications prohibited under aviation regulations and will be conducted alongside training sessions at the airline’s Gurugram academy, after flights at briefing centres and offices, or at locations designated by pilots’ home bases.
Pilots at budget subsidiary Air India Express will also be tested.
Air India did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Existing rules require airlines to randomly test at least 10% of their flight crew for psychoactive substances each year.
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“We nevertheless now feel that it is important to go further,” Air India said in the memo, adding that the initiative was intended to uphold safety standards and provide reassurance to passengers and other stakeholders.
The move comes as authorities investigate an August 4 incident involving an Air India Airbus A320neo flying from Phuket to Delhi that suddenly lost about 300 feet (91 metres) of altitude during cruise.
The flight’s captain tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory drug test, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The incident
Earlier, Reuters reported that India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation summoned Air India CEO Campbell Wilson over the incident, which involved an Airbus A320neo aircraft, a second source said.
Air India and the ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Wilson told news channels the airline had briefed the ministry on the status of the investigation into the incident.
The summons came days after Indian authorities opened an investigation into the incident, which injured 13 passengers and four crew members.
The flight from the Thai tourist city experienced a “momentary altitude variation” while it was flying over the eastern Indian state of Odisha, the government had said earlier.
The aircraft, carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, landed safely in Delhi.
