Dope Test Once Every Year: Centre Mulls Full Screening Of All Pilots After Air India Flight Fiasco

Following the recent Air India turbulence incident, the Centre is considering a random dope test for all pilots once every year. While talking to reporters, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said that the idea had been proposed to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for consideration.

“There are multiple ways of approaching this dope test. Right now, the rule says 10 per cent across the overall pilot network. But just like I said, 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. We have to see how all the stakeholders are going to respond to this because one is the safety aspect of it, one is to maintain the safety intact, and the second thing is the operational impact, which also has to be taken into consideration,” Ram Mohan Naidu said, as quoted by ANI.

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On August 4, Air India flight AI2379, an Airbus A320neo flying from Phuket to Delhi, suddenly lost about 300 feet (91 metres) in altitude during cruise amid turbulence. The aircraft was carrying 145 people, including 137 passengers and eight crew members. At least 24 people were injured in the incident. The flight's pilot-in-command tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory drug test. The pilot had initially tested "non-negative" for a psychoactive substance, with the confirmatory test subsequently identifying marijuana, PTI sources had said.

On the investigation into the Air India flight fiasco, the aviation minister said, "AAIB is presently taking up the investigation and because the data recorder and everything is intact, the plane has also been in its position so I believe that we can expect some preliminary report very early from now but more importantly in terms of the substance use and everything, DGCA is also having stakeholder consultation right now on what the regulation says today and how do we ensure there is a strict policy around this in the future also. This consultation is going on right now."

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Two More Air India Pilots Failed Drug Test

Earlier in Auguts, two pilots of the Air India Group failed the initial drug test as their results came "non-negative" and their samples have been sent for confirmatory tests, news agency PTI reported, citing a source. On August 13, Air India and Air India Express started mandatory psychoactive substance testing of all their pilots, expanding checks beyond regulatory requirements.

These tests were made mandatory following the August 4 incident. A PTI source said psychoactive substance tests have been completed for around 400 pilots of the Air India Group so far.