DGCA orders one-time drug tests for all pilots after Air India Phuket-Delhi flight scare

Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered Indian airlines to conduct a one-time psychoactive-substance test on all their pilots, significantly widening drug screening after the captain of an Air India Phuket-Delhi flight returned a “non-negative” result following a serious mid-air incident last month.

The exercise will cover roughly 14,000 pilots employed by Indian carriers and is required to be completed by July 2027. The direction, issued to airlines in August, goes substantially beyond the existing framework under which carriers are required to randomly test a prescribed proportion of flight crew and other safety-sensitive aviation personnel every year.

Annual testing under consideration

The government is also considering making drug screening an annual requirement for every pilot. Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu had said in August that the ministry had suggested annual testing of all pilots, while the DGCA is expected to bring out draft regulations containing tougher psychoactive-substance testing provisions.

Under the existing system, airlines conduct random tests for psychoactive substances on at least 10 per cent of specified personnel annually. The new one-time exercise effectively requires the entire pilot population to undergo screening within the stipulated period.

The move follows the August 4 incident involving Air India flight AI2379 from Phuket to Delhi. The Airbus A320, carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, suffered a serious altitude upset while cruising at around 36,000 feet. Twenty passengers and four crew members were injured.

A preliminary investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) found that the aircraft experienced a loss of pressure in all three hydraulic systems within seconds. The autopilot disconnected and flight-control warnings were triggered before hydraulic pressure recovered and the aircraft stabilised.

Captain returned ‘non-negative’ result

Both pilots underwent alcohol and psychoactive-substance screening after landing. The captain returned a “non-negative” result for a psychoactive substance in both the initial screening and subsequent confirmatory test, while the co-pilot tested negative. Air India subsequently terminated the captain’s employment.

The AAIB described confirmation of psychoactive-substance use by a flight crew member as a serious concern and recommended that the DGCA take appropriate action on priority to prevent abuse.

Investigators, however, have not established any connection between the captain’s test result and the technical failure experienced by the aircraft. The cause of the simultaneous hydraulic-pressure loss remains under investigation. Air India has separately begun testing pilots across its group as part of additional safety measures following the incident.

Tough penalties for violations

DGCA rules provide for immediate removal from safety-sensitive duties when an employee returns a positive screening result, followed by confirmatory testing at a designated laboratory. The framework also takes into account the possibility that prescription medicines or other substances may affect an initial result.

A first confirmed violation can result in rehabilitation before an individual is permitted to return to duty subject to prescribed conditions. A second violation can attract suspension for three years, while a third can result in cancellation of the licence.

The nationwide screening exercise represents a major tightening of India’s pilot-fitness oversight and could eventually pave the way for universal annual drug testing rather than the existing random-testing regime.