2 weeks ago
Air India Mandates Drug Screening for All Pilots After Marijuana
A big aeroplane from Air India was flying from Phuket to New Delhi when it suddenly dropped down in the sky.
Because of that sudden drop, some passengers and crew members got hurt.
At first, the airline said it was just bumpy air, called turbulence.
But after the plane landed, a special test showed that the main pilot had a drug called marijuana in his body.
Marijuana is a drug that can make people feel sleepy and confused, so it is very dangerous for a pilot to fly with it.
The other pilot had to take control and land the plane safely by himself.
Air India was very upset about this, so it decided to test all of its pilots for drugs.
It also said pilots who struggle with drugs can secretly tell the airline so they can get help.
The government is now thinking about making stricter rules so this never happens again.
Air India has mandated compulsory psychoactive drug screening for its entire cohort of flight crew following the mid-flight incident on flight AI-2379.
On August 4, flight AI-2379, an Airbus A320 flying from Phuket to New Delhi, suffered a sudden 300-foot altitude drop over Odisha, injuring 20 passengers and four cabin crew.
Mandatory post-flight testing revealed that pilot-in-command Sudeep Vashistha tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory lab report; the co-pilot recovered control and landed the jet after erratic cockpit behaviour.
Low-cost subsidiary Air India Express has asked pilots to voluntarily self-declare any substance use or dependence, with reports handled confidentially on a need-to-know basis.
The DGCA and Ministry of Civil Aviation are reviewing rules to tighten substance-abuse checks, including raising random testing above the current 10% threshold and considering penalties like immediate licence cancellation.
- Who
- Air India and its pilots, including pilot-in-command Sudeep Vashistha of flight AI-2379, outgoing CEO Campbell Wilson, and India's DGCA and Ministry of Civil Aviation.
- What
- Air India mandated compulsory drug screening for all Group pilots and its subsidiary Air India Express asked crew to voluntarily disclose drug use after AI-2379's pilot tested positive for marijuana.
- Where
- India — the incident occurred over Odisha on the Phuket–New Delhi route; screening will run at the Gurugram Academy, flight briefing centres and airline offices.
- When
- Announced in an internal email on Thursday, following the August 4 flight incident.
- Why
- To protect flight safety and passenger trust after the pilot-in-command tested positive for marijuana in mandatory post-flight testing.
Zero-Tolerance Enforcement
Confidential Disclosure & Rehabilitation
Handling pilots who use drugs
Zero-Tolerance Enforcement
Regulators and some carriers favour strict penalties such as immediate licence cancellation and disciplinary termination, with reports that carriers may bypass standard DGCA rehabilitation pathways.
Confidential Disclosure & Rehabilitation
Air India Express is urging pilots to voluntarily and confidentially self-declare substance use or dependence, and standard DGCA rehabilitation pathways exist for pilots.
Key facts
- Airline
- Air India
- Affected flight
- AI-2379, Airbus A320
- Incident date
- August 4
- Route
- Phuket to New Delhi
- Passengers / crew
- 137 passengers, 8 crew members
- Altitude drop over Odisha
- 300 feet
- Injuries
- 20 passengers and 4 cabin crew
- Pilot test result
- PIC Sudeep Vashistha tested positive for marijuana
- New screening rule
- 100% of cockpit crew (regulatory minimum was 10% random tests annually)
Quotes
Capt. Manish Uppal
Senior vice president for flight operations, Air India
“"The trust is our most important asset and it is vital that we do all possible to protect and sustain it."”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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