NEW DELHI: The aviation ministry is considering mandating dope tests for all pilots at least once a year, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Tuesday.The current rules require dope testing of 10 per cent of the overall pilot network, but the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is examining whether testing can be expanded to cover every pilot at a random time during the year.“There are multiple ways of approaching this dope test. Right now, the rule says 10% across the overall pilot network. DGCA is engaging, and one of the opinions from our side is that everyone has to go through it in the year at a random time,” Naidu told reporters.The minister added the government would need to balance aviation safety with the operational impact of implementing 100 per cent testing.“We have to see how all the stakeholders are going to respond to this because one is the safety aspect of it, and the second thing is the operational impact, which also has to be taken into consideration,” he said.Meanwhile, addressing the recent Delhi-Phuket flight incident, Naidu said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the incident and a preliminary report is expected soon.The minister said the flight data recorder and the aircraft are intact and in the possession of the investigating agency, which would help in the probe.“AAIB is presently taking up the investigation. Because everything is intact, the flight data recorder and everything is intact, and the plane is also in their possession, I believe that we can expect a preliminary report very early from now,” he said.Naidu also said the DGCA is holding consultations with stakeholders on existing regulations concerning substance use and ways to strengthen the policy.“More importantly, in terms of substance use and everything, DGCA is also having stakeholder consultations right now on what the regulation says today and how we ensure there is a strict policy around this in the future as well. So, this consultation is going on right now,” he said.The AAIB is examining the circumstances surrounding the incident, while the DGCA consultations are focused on reviewing existing regulations and strengthening safeguards related to substance use in aviation.The development comes after Air India flight AI2379, operating from Phuket to Delhi on August 4, experienced a sudden 300-foot altitude drop over Odisha, leaving 20 passengers and four cabin crew members injured.
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The Airbus A320, bearing registration VT-EXO, subsequently stabilised and landed safely in Delhi. The aircraft was carrying 137 passengers, including three infants, and eight crew members, comprising two pilots and six cabin crew.A purported post-flight maintenance report has also revealed a series of technical warnings involving the aircraft’s hydraulic systems, flight controls and autopilot during the journey.The report lists repeated low-pressure alerts across the green, blue and yellow hydraulic systems, along with low fluid levels in the yellow and blue reservoirs. Autopilot disconnections were also recorded twice.
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