Overview
- Air India began mandatory psychoactive‑substance testing of its entire pilot workforce on August 13 and has screened roughly 300–400 pilots so far with two returning non‑negative preliminary results that have been de‑rostered pending confirmatory tests.
- A non‑negative screening result is an initial laboratory signal that requires a second, confirmatory test and, under DGCA rules, immediately removes the crew member from safety‑sensitive duties until the final report is received.
- Preliminary technical data from the AI2379 probe show a temporary loss of hydraulic pressure across all three hydraulic systems and an autopilot disconnection during the August 4 flight that lost about 300 feet, and investigators have not concluded any causal link between crew drug tests and the altitude loss.
- Air India’s one‑time programme covers about 5,000 pilots across Air India and Air India Express and is being run at training centres and bases; the broader exercise exceeds the regulator’s minimum 10% random testing and has raised short‑term staffing and due‑process questions for crews wrongly flagged by medication or lab artifacts.
- The civil aviation ministry has directed the DGCA to review dope‑testing protocols and consider tougher testing and penalties which could change how medicinal positives, confirmatory testing timelines, rehabilitation and licence sanctions are handled going forward.