Air India sacks pilot found drunk after international flight

According to reports, the pilot was given a breathalyzer test (BA) after landing in India following which he was found positive for alcohol consumption.

Domestic airline Air India has fired a pilot who was found positive for alcohol consumption after flying an international flight from Phuket to India.

According to reports, the pilot was given a breathalyzer test (BA) after landing in India following which he was found positive alcohol consumption.

Further, the Tata group-owned airline is considering filing an FIR against the pilot for operating a flight under the influence of liquor. The airline has already informed the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

"We have zero tolerance of these things and have taken very strong action, of not only terminating his service but are also planning to file an FIR as operating a flight under influence of alcohol is a criminal act. DGCA has been informed," airline sources told the Times of India (TOI).

According to the TOI report, the pilot was doing a training flight with a newly-appointed captain.

Unlike domestic flights in India, international flights offer alcohol on board and therefore the pilots are tested after the completion of a flight. Failing the test for the first time attracts license suspension for the for a period of three months, while the second time leads to a ban of three years. If the same individual is found guilty for the third time, the license gets revoked permanently.

In the first half of 2023, around 33 pilots and 97 crew members were could not pass the BA test, the report said.