An Air India co-pilot has been suspended after failing an alcohol test before a scheduled Zurich-Delhi flight on September 6, weeks after another pilot from the airline tested positive for marijuana following a Phuket-Delhi flight.
The first officer was taken off the aircraft shortly before departure after authorities suspected that he had consumed alcohol, officials said.
He failed the preliminary test, while the result of a secondary test conducted in Zurich is still awaited. The pilot was later sent back to India as a passenger and remains suspended pending the final medical examination report.
Zurich-Delhi flight operated the next day
The flight, AI 151, could not operate as scheduled on September 6 and was operated the following day.
Air India said it maintains strict standards for crew members and takes violations of safety and regulatory requirements seriously.
"Air India maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards any violation of safety, regulatory or company protocols. Any confirmed breach is dealt with firmly and action in accordance with regulatory requirements and company policy is enforced," the airline said in a statement.
"To reinforce a culture of discipline, compliance and accountability, Air India has reiterated to all flight crew the critical responsibility of operating to the highest standards of safety, professionalism and integrity. The airline conducts regular awareness and compliance training, mandates testing for psychoactive substances, and enforces strict disciplinary measures that may go beyond minimum regulatory requirements," it added.
Earlier pilot tested positive for marijuana
The latest incident comes weeks after the pilot in command of an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi tested positive for marijuana in two drug tests.
Flight AI-2379, carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, suffered a sudden loss of altitude while flying over Odisha on August 4. The aircraft dropped about 300 feet, leaving more than 20 passengers and four crew members injured before the Airbus A320neo landed safely in Delhi.
The pilot, Sudeep Vashistha, was later dismissed. He had said he was taking medication for "sleep difficulty".
"I disclose, for completeness, that I had separately been experiencing sleep difficulty over a preceding period, related to personal circumstances, for which I had been prescribed medication by my family doctor," Vashistha had said in a flight safety statement.
"During the layover, I personally attempted rest; sleep did not come easily, and I judged that light activity such as walking would be constructive for sleep quality," he had said.
Air India orders mandatory testing
Following the Phuket incident, Air India ordered fresh mandatory dope tests for all its pilots and announced additional compliance measures.
These include mandatory testing for psychoactive substances, enhanced awareness programmes, reinforcement of reporting obligations and regulatory expectations, along with continued monitoring of compliance trends and operational conduct.