Air India mandates drug tests for all pilots after mid-air plunge
An Air India Airbus A350 aeroplane is displayed at the Wings India 2024 aviation event at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad, India, on Jan 18, 2024. (File photo: Reuters/Almaas Masood)
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NEW DELHI: Air India pilots will undergo mandatory drug screening starting Thursday (Aug 13), according to an internal memo seen by AFP, after a captain involved in a serious mid-air incident reportedly tested positive for marijuana.
Existing rules require airlines to randomly test at least 10 per cent of their flight crew for psychoactive substances each year.
“We have decided to undertake a full screening of all Group pilots for any substances or medications that are not permitted under prevailing regulations,” the memo said.
“Testing is mandatory and will start today.”
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On Aug 4, at least 24 passengers were injured when an Airbus A320 lost about 91m of altitude shortly after departing from Thailand’s Phuket for New Delhi.
Local media reports said the main pilot had smoked marijuana and had tested positive in a second confirmatory test. Air India said the results have not been shared with them.
Indian investigators have not commented on the reports but said they were closely examining evidence linked to the flight.
The inquiry is being supported by Airbus and France’s civil aviation safety agency, the BEA.
The incident came as Air India is seeking to overhaul its operations following a string of setbacks.
Its reputation suffered a major blow in June 2025 when the London-bound Flight 171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground.
Last week, the airline appointed former Ethiopian Airlines chief Tewolde Gebremariam as its new chief executive.
Source: AFP/co
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