NEW DELHI: Air India Express has suspended eight crew members, four pilots and four cabin crew members, for three months after they failed to undergo a mandatory post-flight breathalyser test within the prescribed two-hour window following an international flight, sources familiar with the matter said.
The incident occurred on August 2 after flight AX 192 from Dubai landed at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport in Amritsar at 9.50 am. The crew included two pilots-in-command and two co-pilots, along with four cabin crew members. All eight subsequently tested negative for alcohol.
According to a source, the crew left for their allotted hotel after completing post-arrival formalities because one member was unwell. They later returned to the airport for the breathalyser test, but only after two hours and 35 minutes.
“The crew on board the flight checked into their allotted hotel immediately as one of them had a health issue. The group later returned to the airport to take their breathalyser test. However, they took it only 2 hours and 35 minutes later,” the source said.
Under Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regulations, crew members operating international flights for Indian airlines are required to undergo a post-flight alcohol test within two hours of landing in India.
Air India Express voluntarily reported the violation to the DGCA and removed the crew from duty. “In line with the regulations spelt out by the DGCA, the airline immediately took them off duty and placed them under a three-month suspension,” the source said.
Another source said the crew had “forgotten” about the test amid the multiple procedures required after an international flight, including logbook entries, reporting operational issues, Customs and Immigration clearance.
The incident has also revived questions over the effectiveness of post-flight breathalyser testing. A senior pilot said that alcohol consumed before a long-haul flight may no longer be detectable by the time of landing.
Captain C S Randhawa, president of the Federation of Indian Pilots, said airlines were relying only on post-flight testing. “When AI was owned by the government, they used to carry out these tests for its crew before they boarded and after they completed their trip too,” he said.