Over 130 AI pilots, 430 cabin crew face grounding

India's aviation regulator DGCA has found 132 pilots and 434 cabin crew of state-owned Air India to have allegedly skipped the mandatory pre- and post-flight alcohol test this year, and they face the prospect of being grounded.

These crew members had regularly been "evading" the breath analyser (BA) test over a period of time for flights to and from certain destinations such as Singapore, Kuwait, Bangkok, Ahmedabad and Goa, sources close to the development said.

Air India on its part said that it is in full compliance of all the norms set by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and that it will be complying with any directive issued by the the regulator.

Any crew member who tests positive in the pre-flight medical check or refuses to take a breath-analyser test is required to be taken off flying duty for at least four weeks and the airline is required to initiate disciplinary proceedings, according to civil aviation rules.

DGCA has already served an ultimatum to the Air India management over the alleged safety violations by the airline's crew members ahead of its enforcement action, the sources said.

As part of the DGCA's safety regulations, all pilots and cabin crew must undergo the BA test before and after flights.

Notably, aircraft rules prohibit crew members from taking any alcoholic drink 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight.

"The DGCA already brought it to the notice of Air India management that its 132 pilots and 434 cabin crew have evaded the mandatory breath analyser(BA) test, which is to be taken both before and after operating a flight. It is a safety violation and it (DGCA) is taking a suitable action against these crew members," the sources said.

Since the grounding of such a large number of crew members could cripple the airline's narrow body operations, the DGCA is likely to enforce its action in a phased manner, the sources said.

Stating that Air India is in full compliance of all the DGCA norms, an airline statement said, "We are working with DGCA and will be complying with any directive issued by the DGCA."