Air India to test all pilots for banned substances

What the report says

Air India has said it will begin testing all of its pilots for banned substances immediately, according to reporting from the Nile Post based on material also carried by the BBC. The airline said the expanded checks are intended to reassure passengers, stakeholders and the wider public. Pilots at its low-cost subsidiary, Air India Express, are also expected to be covered from Thursday.

The move follows a recent safety incident on an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi, which lost altitude shortly after departure on 4 August. The preliminary report said the senior pilot had to retake a substance test, and reports cited by the coverage said the pilot tested positive for marijuana. Seventeen passengers and crew were injured in the incident. Indian authorities are investigating the event with Airbus and France’s air safety agency, and both pilots have been removed from flying duties until that inquiry ends.

The airline already had random testing rules for pilots, but the new program goes further than the minimum requirement. Air India said in a memo that it considered the additional checks necessary to reinforce safety and professionalism. The tests will cover both drugs and medications prohibited under aviation rules, alongside training sessions at Air India facilities and other locations.

The decision comes as Air India remains under close scrutiny after a separate June crash involving a flight from Ahmedabad to London, which killed 241 people on board and 19 on the ground. As background, the airline’s parent company has recently named a new chief executive, Tewolde Gebremariam, a development that may shape broader safety and management reforms.