Air India will begin mandatory substance testing for all pilots after a captain involved in a serious mid-air incident tested positive for cannabis use, according to an internal memo.
The tests will screen for substances and medications prohibited under aviation regulations and will be conducted alongside training sessions at the airline’s Gurugram academy, after flights at briefing centres and offices, or at locations designated by pilots’ home bases.
Pilots at budget subsidiary Air India Express will also be tested.
Air India did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Existing rules require airlines to randomly test at least 10 per cent of their flight crew for psychoactive substances each year.
“We nevertheless now feel that it is important to go further,” Air India said in the memo, adding that the initiative was intended to uphold safety standards and provide reassurance to passengers and other stakeholders.
The move comes as authorities investigate an incident involving an Air India Airbus A320neo flying from Phuket to Delhi that suddenly lost about 300 feet of altitude during cruise on August 4.
The flight’s captain tested positive for cannabis use in a confirmatory drug test, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Investigators are now reportedly examining the captain’s behaviour on the flight after the cabin crew filed a complaint with Air India alleging that he wasn’t in complete control of himself.
India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation summoned Air India CEO Campbell Wilson over the incident, which injured at least 24 people, a source said.
The flight from the Thai tourist city experienced a “momentary altitude variation” while it was flying over the eastern Indian state of Odisha, the government had said earlier.
The aircraft, carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, landed safely in Delhi. The captain holds final authority and legal responsibility for a flight.
Air India said in an initial statement that the flight “experienced a brief in-flight turbulence-related event during cruise, resulting in a momentary change in altitude”.
The incident marks the latest blow to Air India, which is facing a series of safety-related investigations. The privately owned airline has been under growing pressure since one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners crashed in 2025 and killed 260 people, sparking an investigation into multiple lapses and heightening scrutiny of the whole of India’s aviation sector.
The airline is majority-owned by the Tata Group, with Singapore Airlines holding a roughly 25 per cent stake.
