Air India Pilot Grounded in Zurich Over Alcohol Limit Before Delhi Flight

An Air India pilot was taken off a Zurich-to-Delhi flight before take-off on September 6 after ground staff noticed a smell of alcohol. The flight, numbered AI 151, could not depart as planned after a sobriety test showed the pilot's blood alcohol content was above the permissible limit. Switzerland's aviation regulator, the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation, confirmed action was taken under Swiss rules and noted that handling the case further is up to India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which has been informed. Air India did not issue an official statement on the matter. Ground staff at Zurich Airport triggered the checks after spotting the issue before departure. While outbound flights leaving India require pre-flight alcohol and drug tests for pilots, flights leaving foreign airports do not have the same rule, and testing usually happens after landing. This follows another recent incident involving an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi on August 4, where flight AI2379 dropped 300 feet during a sudden loss of altitude, injuring 20 passengers and four crew members. An initial preliminary report indicated the pilot tested non-negative for a psycho-active substance during a confirmatory test. Air India first blamed turbulence, but a report from the French aircraft manufacturer pointed to hydraulic pressure issues in the Green, Blue, and Yellow hydraulic systems that caused a temporary loss of elevator and aileron control surfaces for four seconds. Fault logs showed nine warning messages within a minute at 9.32 am after crossing the Odisha coast, including low hydraulic pressure, an autopilot disconnect, and an elevator flight-control fault. Two emergency-exit door sensor warnings followed at 9.33 am and 9.35 am, an engine anti-ice fault at 10.16 am, and another autopilot disconnect at 10.52 am. Investigators' sources also reported that the pilot slept for 30 to 35 minutes during the flight.