Crew missed mandatory post-flight breathalyser deadline by 35 minutes
Crew Suspension 2026
Eight members of the Air India Express crew have been suspended for three months.
The decision came in the wake of a delay in mandatory post-flight breathalyzer test.
These crew members were working on Dubai-Amritsar flight on 2nd August.
The aircraft had arrived at Amritsar after the international flight.
As per DGCA regulations, the test must be conducted within two hours of arrival.
But the tests were conducted after two hours and 35 minutes.
The delay was thus more than the time frame of 35 minutes.
This non-compliance to the regulations was reported to the DGCA.
The Air India Express had also taken off these eight crew members from their duties.
All eight crew members later turned out to be sober on the tests.
Among the suspended eight crew members were four pilots and four cabin crew members.
In the meantime, there is an investigation into the drug testing of pilots.
This has come as a result of another Air India flight accident.
The accident occurred on August 4 from Phuket to Delhi.
The plane suddenly dropped about 300 feet while in flight.
It injured passengers and the cabin crew of the plane.
The AAIB stated a non-negative result for psychoactive substances.
Later, the pilot in command also tested positive through confirmatory testing.
The Air India fired the pilot.
The government is contemplating conducting yearly drug testing of all pilots.
At the moment, the rule requires that 10 percent of the pilots be tested.
The DGCA is now consulting the airlines and other parties.
The idea is to conduct such testing for each pilot every year.
Nevertheless, the government has yet to finalize the amendment.
