New Delhi: Weeks after the captain flying the 4 August Air India Phuket-Delhi flight—which suffered a sudden 300-foot altitude loss—tested positive for marijuana, the Indian government is considering 100 percent annual dope testing of pilots, with every pilot required to undergo a random drug test at least once a year.
Current DGCA rules require drug testing of 10 percent of the pilot network annually. The regulator is now consulting airlines, pilot organisations and other stakeholders on whether every pilot should undergo a test at least once a year.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said Tuesday, “There are multiple ways of approaching this dope test. Right now, the rule says 10 percent across the overall pilot network. DGCA is engaging, and one of the opinions from our side is that everyone has to go through it in the year at a random time.”
Speaking at an event organised by GMR and FedEx in Delhi, the minister said the government would have to balance aviation safety with the operational impact of testing the entire pilot workforce. “We have to see how all the stakeholders are going to respond to this because one is the safety aspect of it, and the second thing is the operational impact, which also has to be taken into consideration.”
On 4 August, Air India’s flight AI2379, an Airbus A320neo carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, suddenly lost around 300 feet in altitude, while flying from Phuket to Delhi. The sudden descent threw passengers and crew members around the cabin, injuring 20 passengers and four cabin crew members. The aircraft subsequently recovered and landed safely in Delhi.
Both pilots underwent mandatory psychoactive-substance testing following the incident. The captain’s initial test required confirmatory testing, which returned positive for marijuana, according to sources. He was then removed from flying duties.
The positive test has brought renewed scrutiny on India’s existing random drug-testing regime, under which only 10 percent of the pilot network is tested each year.
Air India has since ordered drug testing of pilots across its group for substances and medications prohibited under prevailing regulations.
The Phuket-Delhi flight incident is being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the report is expected shortly. The incident was termed ‘serious’ previously. The captain’s positive drug test has not been established as the cause of the aircraft’s altitude loss, as of now.
Investigators are also examining the possibility of a technical failure. A preliminary Airbus analysis found that the aircraft briefly experienced a loss of hydraulic pressure that affected key flight controls before the systems recovered. The technical findings are being examined as part of the wider probe, and to ascertain the cause of the drop.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)