Air India has made dope tests mandatory for all its pilots following a case in which a captain, blamed for a mid-air turbulence incident, tested positive for marijuana, according to multiple Indian media reports.
The mandatory testing will apply to pilots of both Air India and Air India Express, Indian television channel NDTV reported.
The tests will be conducted alongside training sessions at the Gurugram academy and after flights at Air India’s flight briefing centres and offices, according to the report.
The move comes after 17 people, including four cabin crew members, were injured earlier this month when an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi encountered severe turbulence. The aircraft reportedly lost around 300 feet in altitude, causing panic among passengers.
On Wednesday, the pilot-in-command tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory test for psychoactive substances. Reports said he had also tested positive in an initial dope test conducted immediately after the flight landed.
Air India has not yet issued an official statement on the new testing requirement.
