New Delhi: Air India will begin mandatory substance testing for all pilots from Thursday, expanding screening beyond existing regulatory requirements following a pilot testing positive for marijuana after the August 4 Phuket-Delhi flight incident. The testing will also cover pilots of Air India Express and will screen for substances and medications prohibited under aviation regulations.
The tests will be conducted alongside training sessions at Air India’s Gurugram academy, after flights at briefing centres and offices, or at locations designated by pilots’ home bases. Air India said the move was aimed at strengthening safety and professionalism and reassuring passengers and other stakeholders.
Under existing Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) rules, airlines are required to randomly test at least 10 per cent of their flight crew for psychoactive substances each year. Air India said it already complies with these requirements but had decided to conduct broader screening across its pilot group.
The move comes amid an investigation into Air India Flight AI-2379, an Airbus A320neo operating from Phuket to Delhi, which suddenly lost around 300 feet of altitude over Odisha on August 4. The flight was carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, with at least 20 passengers and four crew members reported injured.
The captain tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory drug test. NDTV reported that the pilot was not in his seat when the aircraft lost altitude, with the co-pilot in command at the time. The report also said, that the pilot identified as Sudeep Vashistha, told investigators he had been taking prescribed medication for sleep difficulties and had struggled to sleep during the layover before the flight.
As RNA Media reported earlier, the pilot had disclosed medication for sleep difficulty as the probe into the AI-2379 incident widened.
Air India Express has separately urged pilots and employees to voluntarily disclose any use, misuse, dependence on or abuse of psychoactive substances that could affect their fitness for duty. The airline said such disclosures would be handled confidentially and shared only with designated officials on a need-to-know basis.