Air India mandates drug tests for over 5,000 pilots after captain tests positive for cannabis
Air India will begin mandatory substance screening for its more than 5,000 pilots on August 13, after a captain involved in an August 4 mid-air altitude loss on a Phuket-Delhi flight tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory drug test.
The August 4 incident
On August 4, an Air India Airbus A320 flying from Phuket, Thailand, to New Delhi lost approximately 300 feet (91 metres) of altitude. Accounts vary on whether the drop occurred shortly after takeoff or during cruise. The sudden altitude loss injured 24 passengers and cabin crew members. Both pilots were subjected to mandatory toxicological tests upon landing in Delhi, in accordance with protocols from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Initial rapid tests returned a "non-negative" result for the captain, and a second laboratory report received the week of August 10 confirmed the presence of marijuana in the captain's urine sample. Both pilots were immediately removed from the flight list pending investigation by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, with support from the French Bureau of Investigation and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) and Airbus.
Mandatory drug testing programme
Air India Group announced that its more than 5,000 pilots will undergo mandatory screening for psychoactive substances starting Thursday, August 13. The tests will cover any substance or medication prohibited under current aviation regulations and will be conducted at the airline's Gurugram academy, after flights at briefing centres and offices, or at locations designated by pilots' home bases. Pilots at budget subsidiary Air India Express will also be tested. Existing Indian regulations require airlines to randomly test at least 10% of their flight crew for psychoactive substances each year.
We have decided to subject all pilots in the group to a comprehensive screening, to detect any substances or drugs not authorized by current regulations. These tests are mandatory and will begin today.
The internal memo also stated that the airline felt it was important to go further than existing regulatory requirements, with the initiative intended to uphold safety standards and provide reassurance to passengers and other stakeholders. Air India has not yet received the test results, and Indian authorities have not commented publicly but stated they are carefully examining evidence collected in relation to the flight.
- Air India A320 loses about 91 metres of altitude after departing Phuket for Delhi, injuring 24 passengers and crew
- Second lab report confirms marijuana in captain's urine sample; both pilots removed from flight list
- Mandatory drug screening begins for all 5,000+ Air India Group pilots
Investigation and regulatory consequences
India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading the probe, with collaboration from the French BEA and Airbus. The incident has been classified as "grave." Under Indian aviation regulations, a positive drug test results in enrolment in a rehabilitation programme, and repeated positive tests can lead to permanent revocation of a pilot's licence. Air India has not provided details on specific sanctions for pilots who fail the new screening.
Broader context for Air India
The drug-testing programme comes during a period of operational and reputational challenges for the airline. Since the Tata Group's takeover of Air India in 2022, the company has ordered hundreds of aircraft to modernise its ageing fleet but has faced delivery delays and airspace closures caused by the 2025 Indo-Pakistani conflict. In June 2025, Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787 bound for London, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, resulting in fatalities. Separately, Malaysia Airlines implemented mandatory drug testing for its crew last month after a cabin crew member was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking.
