Air India is now levelling up the standards of safety for its customers and in the line of fire will be crew abusing substances.
Air India is pioneering random drug testing for its pilots and cabin crew.
- With this policy the Maharaja will be the first airline in India to take such a massive step.
- Crew members having drug abuse problem could be barred from operating flights till they are drug abuse free.
- While alcohol testing is mandatory for all air lines, with this very step Air India medical department will devise a process for doing random drug test
- Harpreet Singh Head- Corporate Quality, Safety and EMS, Air India Ltd has written a note with a title “safety recommendations for psychoactive substances”
In the note, International Air Transport Association’s Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) has been considered to lay down some guidelines for drug testing.
Similarly, IOSA has suggested that airlines should have a policy which addresses problematic use of psychoactive substances whereas engaged people should be removed from cabin crew operational functions.
The policy till now
Crew members are not supposed to take any alcoholic drink 12 hours before operating a flight. In India, pilots of domestic flights have to undergo pre-flight Breath Analyser test.
A pilot is grounded for three months, three years and forever after failing pre-flight BA test for the first, second and third time, respectively.
