look news india
The sudden altitude drop of Air India flight AI 2379 coming from Phuket to New Delhi and the subsequent drug test of the pilot-in-command has created a stir in the country’s aviation sector. After this serious incident, the Central Government and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have indicated to take major steps to further tighten aircraft safety standards. The Civil Aviation Ministry is now considering completely changing the dope testing protocol implemented for pilots of commercial airlines.
Civil Aviation Minister’s statement: Considering 10% to 100% random testing
Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu has clarified that the government is working on a plan to increase the scope of dope test of pilots manifold. Under current DGCA rules, each airline is required to test only 10 per cent of its total pilot workforce for psychoactive substances (drugs/dope) on a random basis annually.
The Government is of the view that every pilot (100% workforce) should compulsorily undergo this dope test at some random time during the year. The Ministry is currently in detailed discussions on this proposal with all airlines, pilot associations and key stakeholders in the industry.
The challenge of balancing security and operational impact
The Aviation Minister also underlined that while implementing the new rules, two aspects have to be kept in mind: first, flight safety of passengers, which cannot be compromised at any cost; And secondly, the impact on the daily operations of the airlines.
DGCA is making a technical and logistical assessment of how flight schedules and testing infrastructure will be managed if 100 per cent random dope testing of thousands of commercial pilots across the country is made mandatory.
What happened in Phuket-Delhi flight?
On August 4, Air India flight AI 2379 coming from Phuket to Delhi suddenly lost altitude by about 300 feet during cruise. Due to this shock, many passengers and cabin crew members on board the plane were injured. When the psychoactive substance test of the pilots was conducted as per the rules after the plane landed safely in Delhi, the chief pilot was found positive for marijuana (cannabis/drugs) in the initial and subsequent confirmatory laboratory tests.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is currently conducting a thorough investigation into whether the downing of the plane was caused by a hydraulic technical failure or whether human factors like the behavior of the cockpit crew were involved.
Air India starts comprehensive screening of all pilots
After this shocking revelation, the Air India management has come forward and started comprehensive mandatory drug screening of all the pilots (Cockpit Crew) of the group. Along with this, other major domestic airlines have also intensified their internal security review.
Currently, a breath analyzer (BA) test for alcohol is mandatory for pilots before every flight, while the drugs/dope test is conducted on only 10% of the sample. Once the new rules are approved by DGCA, 100% random dope test of every pilot flying any commercial aircraft in India will become mandatory, further strengthening the safety of passengers in Indian airspace.