Air India Launches Nationwide Pilot Drug Testing After Safety Incident

Air India has announced that it will test every pilot for banned substances immediately following a mid‑flight incident that raised safety concerns. The announcement follows a Phuket‑to‑Delhi flight that suddenly lost altitude and had the senior pilot retake a substance test that returned positive for marijuana.

All pilots at the airline’s main and low‑fare divisions—Air India Express—are now subject to the tests, which will be conducted alongside training sessions at the airline’s academy and other briefing centres.

Existing regulations require that at least 10% of pilots be randomly tested; the new policy goes beyond that baseline to reassure passengers, regulators and stakeholders. Both pilots from the incident flight have been suspended pending a full investigation co‑led by Indian authorities, Airbus, and France’s air‑safety agency.

In a memo, Air India stated that the initiative “reflects our determination to uphold the highest standards of safety and professionalism, and to provide reassurance to our passengers, stakeholders and the community at large.”

The airline has faced heightened scrutiny since a June 2025 crash that killed 241 passengers and 19 on the ground. New CEO Tewolde Gebremariam, formerly of Ethiopian Airlines, oversees these safety reforms.