Air India group starts mandatory substance screening for all pilots from today

NEW
DELHI:
Ai
I dia
g oup
has
f om
Thu sday
sta ted
‘ma dato y
substa ce
sc ee i g’
fo
all
pilots
followi g
the
Phuket-Delhi
flight
se ious
i cide t.
The
move
comes
to
“p otect
a d
sustai ”
the
t ust
AI
had
ea ed
ove
the
decades
that
has
bee
shake
by
the
pilot-i -comma d
of
the
Phuket
flight
testi g
positive
fo
ma ijua a.
Aviatio
sec eta y
Sami
Si ha
had
i
clea
te ms
asked
AI
to
“take
espo sibility”
a d
do
whateve
it
takes
to
e su e
safety.AI
se io
VP
(flight
ope atio s)
captai
Ma ish
Uppal
w ote
to
all
pilots
o
Thu sday:
“Fo
decades,
Ai
I dia
has
bee
the
flag
bea e
of
I dia
aviatio .
Ove
this
time
the
p ofessio alism,
skill
a d
commitme t
to
safety
of
ou
pilots,
togethe
with
othe
staff,
has
ea ed
the
t ust
of
millio s
of
passe ge s
a d
the
wide
commu ity.
This
t ust
is
ou
most
impo ta t
asset,
a d
it
is
vital
that
we
do
all
possible
to
p otect
a d
sustai
it.
Ma y
of
you
have
ece tly
eached
out
to
sha e
the
same
se time t.”“As
you
k ow,
Ai
I dia
al eady
fully
complies
with
all
egulato y
equi eme ts
p esc ibed
by
I dia’s
DGCA,
which
a e
simila
to
those
p acticed
i
othe
majo
aviatio
ju isdictio s
i cludi g
Eu ope
a d
the
US.
We
eve theless
ow
feel
it
is
impo ta t
to
go
fu the .

Acco di gly
we
have
decided
to
u de take
a
full
sc ee i g
of
all
g oup
pilots
fo
a y
substa ces
o
medicatio s
that
a e
ot
pe mitted
u de
p evaili g
egulatio s.
This
testi g
is
ma dato y
a d
will
sta t
today,
13
August
2026.”“It
will
be
co ducted
co cu e tly
with
t ai i g
at
the
Gu ug am
Academy,
post
flight
at
ou
Flight
B iefi g
Ce t es
/
Ai
I dia
Offices,
o
at
locatio s
p ovided
by
you
espective
bases.
This
i itiative,
which
goes
beyo d
egulato y
equi eme ts,
eflects
ou
dete mi atio
to
uphold
the
highest
sta da ds
of
safety
a d
p ofessio alism,
a d
to
p ovide
eassu a ce
to
ou
passe ge s,
stakeholde s
a d
the
commu ity
at
la ge.
Tha k
you
fo
you
co ti ued
p ofessio alism,
dedicatio
a d
commitme t
to
mai tai i g
the
t ust
placed
i
Ai
I dia.
Should
you
equi e
a y
cla ificatio ,
co tact
you
Chief
Pilot
a d/o
Base
Ma age ,”
it
says.