Archive · 12 Oct 2026
Three Incidents Highlight Gaps in Indian Aviation Safety
India’s air travel is growing quickly, and airports and airlines must keep their safety procedures working well.
In one case, passengers who arrived on a domestic flight boarded an international flight without completing immigration checks.
In another, an Air India pilot tested positive for a psychoactive substance after a flight experienced a serious technical upset.
Investigators reported injuries and aircraft problems, but did not say drug use caused the upset.
A separate attack happened on a Flydubai flight outside Indian airline operations.
These events do not prove that India’s whole aviation system is failing.
They do point to areas that may need stronger checks and better follow-through.
The article recommends improved passenger routing, more crew testing and stronger oversight.
Three Italian passengers reportedly transferred from a domestic arrival to an international flight at Delhi without departure immigration clearance.
Air India terminated the pilot-in-command of a Phuket–Delhi flight after a confirmatory test for a psychoactive substance; investigators did not identify drug use as the cause of the aircraft upset.
A preliminary report described a brief failure of all three hydraulic systems, an autopilot disconnect, a short stall warning, about 300 feet of altitude loss and 24 injuries.
On 30 September, an Indian captain on a Flydubai flight was attacked by his co-pilot; the incident occurred outside Indian airline operations, and the motive remains under investigation.
The article calls for stronger transfer checks, broader crew screening, enforcement of duty-time limits, faster body-scanner deployment and increased aviation audit capacity.
- Who
- Air India, airport and aviation authorities, three Italian passengers, and crew members involved in the described incidents.
- What
- Three events raised concerns about passenger-transfer procedures, crew screening and flight-deck security.
- When
- The incidents occurred on 4 August, 4 September and 30 September; the article also reports scanner trials beginning in May 2026.
- Where
- Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport; a Phuket–Delhi Air India flight; and a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
- Why
- The article argues that aviation growth is exposing gaps in procedures, screening and oversight.
- Delhi transfer incident
- On 4 September, three Italian nationals reportedly boarded Lufthansa flight LH763 for Munich without departure immigration clearance after arriving from Amritsar on Air India flight AI1115.
- Air India flight
- The Phuket–Delhi flight was on 4 August; the pilot-in-command was terminated after a confirmatory test for a psychoactive substance, reported as marijuana.
- Aircraft event
- The preliminary report described a brief failure of all three hydraulic systems on Airbus A320 VT-EXO, about 300 feet of altitude loss and 24 injuries.
- Flydubai incident
- On 30 September, Captain Smit Machchhar was reportedly attacked and stabbed by the co-pilot on flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
- Scanner trials
- The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security began body-scanner trials in May 2026 at Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi.
- Fleet figures
- The article says the ministry told Parliament in 2025 that more than half of India’s 800-plus aircraft were under five years old and about 13 percent were older than 15 years.
- Proposed measures
- The article recommends stronger transfer checks, random regular testing for substances beyond alcohol, enforcement of duty-time limits and increased DGCA technical-audit capacity.