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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has directed domestic airlines to complete a one-time mandatory screening for psychoactive substances of all pilots by 31 July 2027.
The order covers an estimated 14,000 pilots employed in India and sits within the Civil Aviation Requirements framework.
It follows the 4 August 2026 incident on Air India flight AI2379 from Phuket to Delhi, where an Airbus A320 suffered a triple-hydraulic failure and the pilot-in-command later tested positive in a confirmatory drug test and was terminated.
The existing CAR framework, revised on 31 January 2022, required random annual testing of only 10% of flight crew and air traffic controllers.
Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said stricter permanent testing guidelines were being framed after stakeholder consultation, expected to be finalised before the end of September 2026.
Binding regulatory instructions issued by the DGCA to airlines, flight crew and air traffic controllers. The CAR on psychoactive substance testing, revised on 31 January 2022, set the 10% random annual testing requirement that the new one-time screening supplements.
India's civil aviation regulator; issues Civil Aviation Requirements, licenses crew and oversees airline safety compliance
Parent ministry of the DGCA; its minister, K. Rammohan Naidu, is steering the consultation on permanent testing guidelines
Independent body that investigates aircraft accidents and serious incidents in India; it recommended priority action against psychoactive substance abuse by aviation personnel
GS Paper II > Statutory and regulatory bodies; GS Paper III > Infrastructure - civil aviation
General Awareness > Regulatory bodies and current affairs
General Awareness > Transport regulators and safety
Binding regulatory instructions issued by the DGCA to airlines and aviation personnel
A drug or substance that alters judgement, reaction time, coordination or alertness - the class of substances screened for in safety-sensitive aviation roles
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, India's independent air accident investigator
Staff whose impairment could directly endanger flight safety, such as pilots and air traffic controllers