Overview
- On Dec 23, RCMP removed an Air India pilot assigned to flight AI186 after two breathalyser tests at Vancouver airport indicated impairment.
- The pilot was offloaded and detained for questioning, and the Boeing 777 departed roughly two hours late with a replacement pilot.
- Air India says the pilot has been taken off flying duties pending an internal inquiry, and India’s DGCA has been informed.
- A Transport Canada letter cites potential contraventions of Canadian Aviation Regulations and Air India’s foreign operator certificate, with possible enforcement by RCMP and TCCA.
- Duty‑free staff at the airport alerted authorities after noticing alcohol-related concerns, though reports differ on whether the pilot sipped wine or merely smelled of liquor.