Drunk: Over 40 pilots, cabin crew of Indian airlines failed alcohol test in Jan-April; 4 repeat offenders

In a development raising questions about India's civil aviation safety, over 40 flight crew members failed their pre-flight alcohol tests in the first 4 months of this year. These included 9 pilots and 32 cabin crew members.

At least 2 pilots and 2 cabin crew members tested alcohol positive for the second time, leading to a 3-year suspension. The others were suspended for 3 months as it was their first offence.

The offenders included pilots and cabin-crew members of IndiGo, Go First, SpiceJet, Air India Express, AirAsia India, Vistara, Alliance Air, and Air India.

In April, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Indian watchdog, had said that airlines must ensure that 50 per cent of their cockpit and cabin-crew members are subjected to pre-flight alcohol tests on a daily basis.

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Before the Covid-19 pandemic, all crew members had to undergo alcohol tests.