Air India, Jet Airways pilots suspended for flying drunk, both repeat offenders

downloadTwo pilots, of Air India and Jet Airways, have been suspended for four years by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after they were found drunk on arrival of their international flights in India.

An Air India cabin crew member has also been slapped with a one-year suspension, after post-flight checks found traces of alcohol in his breath.

Considering the seriousness of the violations, both airlines have also been directed to register FIRs against the pilots. Both incidents involved overseas flights, and were reported this month.

On August 10, The pilot of the Air India Sharjah-Calicut flight tested positive for alcohol during post flight examination on August 10, while the pilot of the Jet Airways Abu Dhabi-Chennai flight was found drunk on August 3.

Read: Pilots reveal 10 terrifying secrets that their passengers had no idea about

In fact, once the Air India pilot was grounded, the plane ran into other problems as the crew was inadequate to operate any more flights. The airline then had to divert a flight to Kozhikode – with an additional pilot – to ensure the stuck aircraft flies again.

According to PTI, both the pilots have tested positive for alcohol in the past too, but during pre-flight examinations.

ACTION TAKEN

A Jet Airways spokesperson said the airline has terminated the services of the concerned pilot. The airline has zero tolerance towards any action of its crew that contravenes safety standards mandated in its operating manual approved by DGCA, it said in a release.

According to the release, this is clearly mentioned in the prescribed service conditions for crew and is adequately emphasised during internal training sessions. “In case of non-compliance, we take disciplinary action after due investigation as per company policy,” it added.

Meanwhile, the Air India spokesperson confirmed the incident and said the pilot had been de-rostered. “We have set up an inquiry committee to look into the incident,” she said.

This is possibly the first time that pilots have failed alcohol tests – conducted soon after landing the plane. As normal practice, pre-flight checks are conducted on pilots. There have been 26 cases of pilots failing pre-flight alcohol tests until July this year. Forty-three such cases were reported in 2015.

In India, pilots are suspended for three months after the first such violation, three years after the second and their licences are cancelled if caught for a third time. Also, unlike other countries that have random alcohol testing policies, DGCA regulations mandate 100 per cent screening for crew of Indian carriers before every flight departing from an Indian airport and after every flight arriving into the country.

The incident comes just a day after a senior pilot of the national carrier was detained at Mumbai airport for attempting to smuggle seven gold bars worth Rs 15,65,567. The pilot was carrying the gold bars in his hand luggage presuming he won’t be checked considering his seniority.

আরও খবর
আপনার কমেন্ট লিখুন

Your email address will not be published.