Industry Odisha Bureau, Sep 10: India’s aviation regulator has ordered testing of every pilot. The mandate covers psychoactive substances across all airlines. Testing under this cycle runs until July 31, 2027. Officials confirmed screening is already underway industry-wide.
This expands significantly beyond the existing testing framework. Current rules randomly test 10% of flight crew annually. Air traffic controllers are also included in that framework. The new mandate broadens coverage considerably during this cycle.
Officials say the order has already been formally issued. One official noted testing began last month already. This one-time mandate differs from any permanent annual requirement.
Separately, the government is weighing broader long-term changes. Officials have examined testing every pilot at least annually. That possibility remains under active consideration, not finalised. Civil Aviation Requirements amendments are still being drafted currently.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu addressed the timeline Thursday. He said DGCA continues discussions with industry stakeholders. Naidu expressed hope guidelines would be finalised by month-end. He stopped short of confirming a guaranteed deadline.
Asked about possible action against a specific pilot, Naidu deferred. He said DGCA must act once CAR provisions emerge. Decisions on individual cases would follow those finalised rules.
The regulatory push follows a specific Air India incident. That flight operated Phuket to Delhi on August 4. The pilot-in-command initially tested non-negative for a substance. A later confirmatory test returned a positive result.
Air India responded by voluntarily testing all its pilots. That policy began August 13, following the confirmatory result. This remains distinct from DGCA’s broader industry-wide mandate.
The Phuket-Delhi flight itself involved a serious technical event. It lost all three hydraulic systems within seconds. The aircraft was cruising at 36,000 feet at the time. This triggered what investigators called an altitude upset. Twenty-four people aboard sustained injuries during the event.
A preliminary AAIB report clarified the pilot’s role that day. The PIC was functioning as pilot monitoring, not flying. The co-pilot handled primary controls and tested negative twice.
Critically, AAIB found no link between the substance result and the upset. The report noted the co-pilot responded before the PIC intervened. The aircraft ultimately recovered and landed safely in Delhi.
AAIB still recommended DGCA take appropriate preventive action. It described psychoactive substance use as a serious concern. That recommendation remains separate from any accident-cause finding.
Together, these developments signal an evolving pilot-testing landscape. Broader coverage and stricter protocols may lie ahead. Whether current mandates become permanent depends on CAR’s final shape.
