Air India Express Suspends 8 Crew Members Over Delayed Breathalyser Test
Air India Express suspended eight crew members for three months after they completed a mandatory post-flight breathalyser test 35 minutes beyond the prescribed deadline.
Air India Express has suspended eight crew members for three months after they failed to complete a mandatory post-flight breathalyser test within the prescribed time limit, according to sources. The action followed a Dubai-Amritsar flight on August 2, whose crew completed the required declaration two hours and 35 minutes after landing instead of within two hours.
The flight itself was delayed by 35 minutes before landing at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport in Amritsar. Air India Express reported the testing delay to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and removed all eight crew members from duty before imposing the three-month suspension. All eight reportedly tested negative for alcohol.
The action comes amid increased scrutiny of substance testing among airline crew following a separate Air India Phuket-Delhi flight incident in August. During that incident, an Airbus A320 experienced a sudden loss of altitude of around 300 feet, prompting prescribed psychoactive-substance testing of both pilots.
The pilot-in-command initially returned a result that required confirmatory testing and was subsequently found positive for marijuana. The pilots were removed from the roster pending investigation, while the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau classified the Phuket-Delhi episode as a serious incident.
Following the incident, Air India introduced mandatory psychoactive-substance screening for pilots across the group, including Air India Express, expanding testing beyond the existing random-testing requirement.
