Mumbai: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is actively considering universal, year-round random psychoactive substance testing for all commercial pilots operating in India, according to the Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu. The plan comes as a regulatory shift aimed at tightening safety protocols across the aviation sector after an Air India pilot was tested positive for marijuana consumption.
Proposed testing overhaul
The regulatory push comes in the direct aftermath of the August 4 incident onboard Air India flight AI-2379 – a Phuket-to-Delhi Airbus A320 registered as VT-EXO – which suffered a sudden altitude loss of approximately 300 feet during cruise before landing safely in the capital. A subsequent drug test confirmed the flight’s pilot-in-command tested positive for marijuana.
Following the incident, The Free Press Journal had reported on August 11 that the union government is evaluating immediate structural reforms, including significantly increased frequency of unannounced, random pre and post-flight dope and alcohol testing for flight crews across all domestic hubs. The previous report also stated that MoCA had issued a strict warning to all Indian air carriers stating that such episodes must never recur.
DGCA reviews regulations
On Tuesday, Kinjarapu confirmed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is currently engaging with key stakeholders to revamp the existing rules.
"One of the opinions from our side is that everyone has to go through it the whole year at a random time," Naidu stated, acknowledging that the aviation ecosystem must adapt to stricter enforcement across its roster of over 12,000 active commercial pilots.
According to the existing norms under the current civil aviation requirements, each airline has to screen a minimum of 10% of pilots through periodic random sampling. The Ministry is now considering a framework of randomly testing 100% of commercial pilots throughout the year in an unscheduled random sampling method.
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Pilot bodies seek safeguards
The Free Press Journal had also reported on August 18 that the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) had urged the DGCA for a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s psychoactive-substance testing regulations by increasing the random sampling from 10% to at least 25%.
It had also suggested introduction of oral-fluid screening alongside existing urine tests, and enforce strict procedural safeguards to protect crew members.
The Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA India) had appealed to the DGCA to strictly preserve confidentiality and procedural integrity during random psychoactive substance testing. It cautioned that initial ‘non-negative’ screening results can frequently be triggered by routine over-the-counter self-medication, prescription drugs or dietary habits rather than illicit drug abuse.
