Air India Express has suspended eight crew members — four pilots and four cabin crew members — for three months over a delay in conducting the mandatory post-flight breath analyser test.
The incident pertains to Air India Express flight AX-192 from Dubai, which landed at Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport in Amritsar at 9:50 am on Sunday, August 2. As per Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) guidelines, crew members of Indian airlines operating international flights are required to undergo a post-flight alcohol test within two hours of landing. The crew of the said Air India Express flight took another 35 minutes (2 hours and 35 minutes after landing) before showing up for the test, Hindi media reports said.
While all eight crew members cleared the test, disciplinary action was initiated for failing to comply with the rule regarding the deadline.
As they took more than the allowed time to appear for the test, Air India Express informed the DGCA about the matter and, in accordance with the rules, immediately removed all eight of them from duty. The identities of the crew members and other details related to them have not been disclosed so far, local media said.
One Hindi news outlet reported, quoting sources, that a crew member fell ill during the trip and was not at their physical best when the aircraft landed. Thus, the crew rushed to their designated hotel after hurrying through the mandatory post-arrival formalities. The idea was to get some rest and return for the breath analyser test, the report said. However, they were late by 35 minutes when they showed up and found themselves in trouble. THE WEEK couldn't independently verify this claim.
Earlier, the co-pilot of Air India flight AI 2379 from Phuket to Delhi, which experienced a 300-foot altitude drop during its cruise phase over Odisha, tested positive for a psychoactive substance. Calling it a "serious concern" in a preliminary investigation report, the probe agency asked the DGCA to take appropriate action.
