After this one-time mega exercise, AI will conduct dope tests according to regulatory requirement NEW DELHI: Over 5,000 pilots of Air India and Air India Express have started undergoing “mandatory substance screening” from Thursday. The airline took this move to “protect and sustain” passenger trust – which had taken a hit after last June’s Ahmedabad crash and was slowly being restored – but has been shaken yet again after the badly rattled Aug 4 Phuket-Delhi flight’s pilot-in-command failed his dope test. After this one-time mega exercise, AI will conduct dope tests according to regulatory requirement, which as of now mandate at least 10% crew members be tested annually. DGCA is reviewing its rules and may go in for stricter consequences for those testing positive due to addiction issues and adopt a different approach for those who do so after taking medicines for pain, allergy and other issues. Pointing out that AI has over the decades “earned trust of millions of passengers and the wider community,” AI senior VP (flight ops) Captain Manish Uppal wrote to all pilots Thursday: “…This trust is our most important asset, and it is vital that we do all possible to protect & sustain it.”Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosAir India Tightens Pilot Safety Checks After AI2379 Altitude Loss And Positive Marijuana TestJPSC-JSSC Stir Enters Day 20: Police Book 600 After Assembly March, Students Refuse To Back DownAkali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal Near Hazur Sahib Gurdwara, Assailant Uses Sharp Weapon | WatchPrajwal Revanna’s Jail Phone Had 90 Porn Videos, Senior Prison Official Suspended After Search’Is This The Way In Democracy?’Kharge Fumes, Raises Haldwani ‘Purification’ Row, Nadda Assures ProbeRed Fort Blast: UN Security Council Body Links Deadly Attack To AQIS; Reveals Grisly DetailsPit Bull Attack in Patiala Couple Suffers Multiple Injuries- Wife Undergoes SurgeryThreat Letter Targets Kashmiri Pandits In Kashmir, Employees Asked To Stay Alert Amid Security FearChilling Crash Video: Atiq Ahmed’s Son’s Creta Flips After Losing Control On Highway | WatchUdhayanidhi Backs CM Vijay’s Tamil Nadu Delimitation Stand, Demands No Cut In State’s LS Seats123PhotostoriesExclusive – From struggling with the painful tear gas stunt due to asthma to life as an expat in Thailand; Avika Gor on Khatron Ke Khiladi 15, stunts and moreA high-value woman doesn’t chase validation: 5 Signs of a woman who knows her worth, sets boundaries and walks away when neededOprah Winfrey talks sleep with Dr John La Puma: Why your nighttime routine may be affecting your heart, hormones and body clock’Vishwanath And Sons’: Five reasons to watch Suriya and Mamitha Baiju starrer helmed by Venky Atluri on big screens10 baby names inspired by the “first light of dawn”Why defrosting your fridge is important and 3 smart ways to do itWhy do train tracks have small stones around them? Here’s what they actually doYour balcony can be more than a laundry zone: 8 clever makeover ideas to turn a small Indian apartment balcony into a space you will actually useAlia Bhatt’s hairstylist Amit Thakur reveals the truth about hair spas!Kangana Ranaut turns heads on her first Teej in a Kanjeevaram lime green saree, proving traditional never means boring123Hot PicksKaroline LeavittNCERTTrump SocialJharkhand protestN ChandrasekaranNEET PG 2026 city slipIran warKarnataka bandhUP NEET UG counsellingTop TrendingChhattisgarh NH-30 AccidentKarnataka Closed TodayMallikarjun KhargeBengaluru Mother AccidentGermany Haryana Youth MurderGujarat SuicideSouth Delhi MurderAbhijeet DipkeWeather TomorrowShakeel Noorani
NEW DELHI: Over 5,000 pilots of Air India and Air India Express have started undergoing “mandatory substance screening” from Thursday. The airline took this move to “protect and sustain” passenger trust – which had taken a hit after last June’s Ahmedabad crash and was slowly being restored – but has been shaken yet again after the badly rattled Aug 4 Phuket-Delhi flight’s pilot-in-command failed his dope test. After this one-time mega exercise, AI will conduct dope tests according to regulatory requirement, which as of now mandate at least 10% crew members be tested annually. DGCA is reviewing its rules and may go in for stricter consequences for those testing positive due to addiction issues and adopt a different approach for those who do so after taking medicines for pain, allergy and other issues. Pointing out that AI has over the decades “earned trust of millions of passengers and the wider community,” AI senior VP (flight ops) Captain Manish Uppal wrote to all pilots Thursday: “…This trust is our most important asset, and it is vital that we do all possible to protect & sustain it.”