The Civil Aviation Ministry is considering increasing random drug testing of flight personnel from 10% to over 25%.
The move follows an Air India flight incident in which the pilot reportedly tested positive for marijuana after severe turbulence injured 24 passengers.
Air India and Air India Express have also begun mandatory screening of all group pilots for prohibited psychoactive substances.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation is expected to expand random drug checks for flight personnel from 10 per cent to over 25 per cent, sources told Bloomberg.
This proposed enhancement follows a safety incident involving an Air India service from Phuket to Delhi. The pilot tested positive for marijuana, a psychoactive substance, after encountering severe turbulence.
During the flight, the plane abruptly lost altitude and plunged 300 feet. The sudden drop injured 24 passengers.
Air India Mandates Screening
Air India and Air India Express will test all group pilots for unapproved psychoactive substances starting 13 August 2026.
"We have decided to undertake a full screening of all Group pilots for any substances or medications that are not permitted under prevailing regulations. This testing is mandatory and will start today, 13 August 2026," Manish Uppal, head of flight operations at Air India, told Bloomberg.
Simultaneously, the Centre intends to modify regulations to ensure stringent penalties for aviators failing these narcotics screenings.
Current Drug Rules
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation established guidelines regarding psychoactive substance consumption among aviation personnel in September 2021. The mandate, outlined in CAR Section 5, Series F, Part V, took effect in January 2022 and aligns with International Civil Aviation Organisation standards.
Existing protocols require the annual random screening of a minimum of 10 per cent of all flight crew members and air traffic controllers (ATCOs). The rules also cover aircraft maintenance engineers, certifying staff, trainee pilots, instructors and examiners, who undergo checks during recruitment, following specific safety incidents or as routine follow-ups.
The examination procedure requires collecting a urine sample, split at the point of collection into two sealed containers. Laboratories test these samples for six distinct drug categories.
The prohibited substances include amphetamines and amphetamine-type stimulants, opiates and metabolites, cannabis measured as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cocaine, barbiturates and benzodiazepines.
