Air India Pilots Drug Test: 2 More Crew Members Fail First Screening After Phuket Flight Scare
Two more Air India pilots have failed to clear the preliminary drug test ordered by the Tata-owned airline, days after a mid-air scare on a Phuket-Delhi flight put the carrier's cockpit safety protocols under scrutiny. The two pilots have been de-rostered while their confirmatory test results are awaited, sources said.
Two more Air India pilots have failed to clear the preliminary drug test ordered by the Tata-owned airline, days after a mid-air scare on a Phuket-Delhi flight put the carrier's cockpit safety protocols under scrutiny. The two pilots have been de-rostered while their confirmatory test results are awaited, sources said. The development marks a fresh setback for Air India, which had already ordered mandatory dope testing across its entire flight crew following the earlier incident involving flight AI2379.
The Phuket Flight Incident
The scare unfolded on Air India flight AI2379, flying from Phuket to Delhi on August 4, 2026, when the aircraft plummeted roughly 300 feet mid-air. The sudden drop injured 24 passengers and crew members on board.
Investigations that followed revealed that the pilot-in-command of that flight had tested positive for marijuana, failing both the preliminary and confirmatory laboratory dope tests, said reports. Cabin crew members later filed formal complaints flagging the pilot's erratic behaviour inside the cockpit during the flight. Air India Phuket-Delhi Flight Turbulence: Airline To Screen All Pilots for Drugs.
Two More Pilots Fail Screening
In the latest development, two additional Air India pilots have failed their preliminary drug screenings, according to sources. The final, confirmatory test results for both pilots are still awaited. Both have been de-rostered as a precautionary measure while the process is completed. Air India Phuket-Delhi Flight Turbulence: Captain Fails Post-Flight Dope Test, Airline Issues Statement as DGCA Probes Incident.
The fresh failures come amid an expanded, mandatory testing drive that Air India initiated across its pilot workforce in the aftermath of the AI2379 incident.
Airline Widens Mandatory Testing
Following the Phuket flight incident, Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express ordered mandatory psychoactive substance and dope testing for all flight crew members across their operations. The move is aimed at identifying any further compliance lapses and reassuring passengers about cockpit safety standards.
Regulatory authorities and the airline's internal safety units are also examining the operational circumstances of the AI2379 incident alongside the broader substance compliance checks now underway across the carrier's rosters.
What Happens Next
With confirmatory test results still pending for the two newly flagged pilots, further action from Air India is expected once the results are finalised. The airline has not issued an official statement on the latest cases so far.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 17, 2026 11:54 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
