Air India dismisses pilot and suspends another after drug and alcohol tests, tightens safety rules

Incidents

A pilot who was in command of an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi on August 4 was found to have a psychoactive drug in his system and was dismissed after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau highlighted the result in its September 4 preliminary report. Two days later, on September 6, a different Air India captain failed a breath‑alcohol test in Zurich before a Delhi‑bound flight; he was immediately taken off flying duties, sent to India as a passenger and placed under suspension pending a medical review. A comparable breach was reported at Vancouver airport in January.

Airline response

Following the incidents, Air India’s head of flight operations sent a directive to all pilots reminding them of the carrier’s strict no‑tolerance stance on drug and alcohol use while on duty. The airline says any breach of safety, security or regulatory rules will attract firm disciplinary action, ranging from suspension to termination, based on the seriousness of the offense. Air India says the Zurich case was flagged through its airport team, reported to local authorities and acted on under its internal safety‑monitoring system, which is designed to spot and address non‑compliance quickly. New measures include compulsory testing for mind‑altering substances, expanded safety‑awareness programmes for staff in critical roles, reinforced reporting duties and ongoing tracking of compliance trends. A source emphasized that these steps support Air India’s broader safety push, which also involves fleet upgrades, technology upgrades and stronger leadership involvement in safety culture.