Aviation Ministry seeks tougher drug-testing rules for pilots

The Civil Aviation Ministry is considering random psychoactive substance testing for every commercial pilot at least once a year as part of efforts to strengthen aviation safety standards.

Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said on Tuesday that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation was consulting airlines, pilot groups and other stakeholders on possible changes to the existing testing framework.

Current regulations require airlines to randomly test at least 10 per cent of their flight crew annually for psychoactive substances. Under the proposal being considered, all pilots would undergo testing at an unannounced time during the year.

Naidu said the ministry favoured bringing every pilot within the testing programme but would assess the views of stakeholders before deciding on a revised policy.

The proposal has not yet been finalised.

The minister said there were several possible approaches to drug screening and that the DGCA was examining how the existing system could be made more stringent.

Air India incident prompts scrutiny

Pilot drug testing has received greater attention after the captain of an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi tested positive for marijuana following a sudden loss of altitude during the journey.

The incident involved an Airbus A320neo that reportedly lost about 300 feet during cruise. Both pilots were taken off flying duty pending the investigation and confirmatory testing.

Following the incident, Air India and its budget subsidiary Air India Express began mandatory psychoactive substance screening for all their pilots, going beyond the current regulatory requirement.

The airlines’ expanded programme covers about 5,000 pilots and includes testing during training, after flights and at designated facilities, according to a Reuters report.

Naidu said the DGCA’s consultations would help determine the extent and method of any industry-wide expansion in testing. The regulator is also reviewing existing standards to formulate a stricter policy for the future.

With PTI inputs