Flight crew, air traffic controllers to be tested for drugs from Jan 31 next year

Flight crew members and air traffic controllers will be tested for psychoactive substances such as cannabis and cocaine from January 31 next year.


According to rules issued by the DGCA, the worldwide spread of use of psychoactive substances is a serious concern to aviation safety.

Airlines and air navigation service providers will have to carry out random drug-testing of at least 10 per cent of the flight crew members and air traffic controllers employed by them every year.

The rules mentioned that commercial aircraft operators, maintenance and repair organisations, flying training organisations and air navigation service providers will have to carry out drug tests before employing any person or admitting a trainee pilot.

These organisations will also have to test all those aviation personnel -- at the first available opportunity -- who have refused a drug test to a foreign regulator during flight operations to that country, the rules said.

The DGCA said the aviation workers will be tested for -- amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine, opiates, barbiturates and benzodiazepine.