New Delhi. All pilots of Air India and Air India Express will now be tested for dope. This test has been made mandatory from today. After the pilot of flight AI 2379 coming from Phuket to Delhi which got stuck in turbulence on August 4, tested positive for dope, the airlines have decided to screen all the pilots. There are more than 5 thousand pilots in Air India and Air India Express together. According to the airline, the safety of passengers is of paramount importance for it and for this purpose the company has taken this step to maintain their trust.
Air India to undertake full screening of all group pilots for any substances or medications that are not permitted under prevailing regulations. Testing is mandatory from today: Sources
— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2026
The company has clarified that dope test will be conducted at Gurugram Training Academy. Apart from this, after the flight, screening of pilots will be done at the briefing centre, airlines office and the respective base location. According to Air India, the company already strictly follows all the rules of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), but now this decision has been taken by going one step further. In this regard, the company has also sent an internal mail to all its pilots.
Let us tell you that two tests were conducted for the pilot in command of Phuket-Delhi flight. After the screening test came positive, the confirmatory test report also came back non-negative. This confirmed that the pilot was flying the plane under the influence of drugs. Due to turbulence, the flight suddenly descended by about 300 feet and due to strong shaking, 17 people including passengers and crew members were injured. The investigation of that case is still going on. Since that incident, serious questions are being raised regarding the safety of airline passengers. The government had also summoned the then CEO of Air India in this matter.