Air India pilot suspended after failing pre-flight alcohol test on Zurich-Delhi route
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Air India pilot suspended after failing pre-flight alcohol test on Zurich-Delhi route")
View of an airplane cockpit with a pilot actively managing the controls. Photograph: (Credit: Pexels/Representative image)
Air India has suspended a co-pilot after he failed a pre-flight alcohol test prior to a Zurich–Delhi flight. Read the details on the incident and airline action.
An Air India first officer has been suspended after failing a pre-flight alcohol test at Zurich Airport before a flight to Delhi on September 6, the airline said. Ground handling staff at Zurich Airport detected the smell of alcohol before the scheduled departure of flight AI 151 and alerted authorities.
The co-pilot was removed from the aircraft shortly before departure after authorities suspected he had consumed alcohol. He failed the preliminary test, while the result of a secondary test conducted in Zurich is still awaited. Subsequent sobriety tests indicated that the pilot's blood alcohol concentration was above the permitted limit, and as a result the flight could not operate as scheduled.
He was subsequently repatriated to India as a passenger and remains suspended pending the final medical examination report and completion of the investigation. Switzerland's Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) confirmed it had taken action against the pilot under Swiss regulations and informed India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) about the incident, noting that further handling of the case rests with the DGCA as the airline's home regulator. The Indian aviation regulator has scrutinised the matter and asked Air India to strengthen its safeguards to prevent such violations.
Air India said it maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards violations of safety, regulatory or company protocols and that confirmed breaches are dealt with in accordance with regulatory requirements and company policy.
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The incident comes weeks after the pilot-in-command of Air India flight AI2379 from Phuket to Delhi tested positive for a psychoactive substance following a sudden loss of altitude during the August 4 flight, when the aircraft lost about 300 feet of altitude over Odisha, injuring more than 20 passengers and four crew members.
