Two Air India pilots have been removed from flying duties after preliminary drug screenings returned non-negative results, with confirmatory tests pending.
DGCA rules require a second-stage laboratory test before a non-negative screening result can be treated as a confirmed positive drug test.
The development follows the August 4 Phuket-Delhi flight incident, in which an Air India A320 experienced a sudden altitude variation of around 300 feet.
Two more Air India pilots have returned “non-negative” results in preliminary drug screenings conducted under the airline group’s mandatory testing programme, with their samples now sent for confirmatory laboratory tests, media reports said.
The final results are awaited, according to the reports and the pilots have been removed from the flying roster pending confirmation. The development comes days after the pilot-in-command of an Air India Phuket-Delhi flight tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory test following an August 4 incident.
Two More Air India Pilots Return Non-Negative Results
Air India has temporarily stood down several pilots from flight duties after routine drug screenings returned preliminary non-negative results, as per reports.
The Indian Express quoted an Air India spokesperson as saying that the airline already complies with all drug-testing requirements prescribed by the DGCA, while noting that it now plans to strengthen its measures further.
What Is The Test Performed On Pilots?
A preliminary non-negative result serves as an initial screening indication. It requires further validation and does not equal a definitive positive test.
DGCA rules require employees’ urine samples to be examined for six categories of psychoactive substances: amphetamine and amphetamine-type stimulants, opiates and their metabolites, cannabis in the form of tetrahydrocannabinol, cocaine, barbiturates and benzodiazepines.
The urine sample collected from an employee is divided and preserved in two separate containers. The first container is used for an immediate screening test conducted after the sample is collected. If the screening result is “non-negative”, indicating the possible presence of a psychoactive substance, the pilot is taken off flying duty immediately and remains grounded until a confirmatory test is completed.
The sample kept in the second container is sent to a designated laboratory for confirmation. The laboratory uses high-complexity instruments and conducts the test through either gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). If the confirmatory test returns a positive result, the organisation’s medical in-charge must consult a medical review officer (MRO).
The MRO determines whether the result could have been caused by legitimate therapeutic treatment or another innocuous source rather than drug abuse. For example, codeine-containing pain medication can result in a positive test for opiates.
If the MRO establishes that the result represents a confirmed case of drug use, disciplinary action follows an escalation process. For a first positive drug test, the employee is referred by the organisation to a specialist doctor, counsellor or de-addiction centre for rehabilitation. Before resuming active duty, the employee must undergo another drug test, receive a negative result and secure a fitness certificate from the organisation’s medical in-charge.
This development comes as on August 4, an Air India Airbus A320 aircraft, registration VT-EXO, operating the flight AI 2379 from Phuket to Delhi, experienced a sudden altitude variation of around 300 feet during cruise. The plane later stabilised and landed safely in the national capital.
