Air India pilot found drunk before flying Boeing 777 flight from Canada to India: How it happened

An Air India pilot was recently detained at Canada's Vancouver Airport for allegedly drinking before flying a Boeing 777 from Vancouver to Delhi (via Vienna) on December 23.

This comes after a staff member at the airport's duty-free area reported the pilot to the Canadian authorities, who subjected him to a breathalyser test—which he failed, as per a Times of India report.

However, it is unclear how she found out that he was intoxicated. While some reports say she found him smelling of liquor while buying a bottle at the duty-free, others claim that she had seen him sipping wine that he had been offered.

Nevertheless, the pilot was detained after the Canadian authorities confirmed he had been drunk.

As a result, the AI 186 ultra-long-haul flight he was supposed to fly was delayed by two hours, after which another pilot was found. After it reached Vienna, the AI 186 was handled by another set of pilots, who flew it to Delhi.

“The pilot was flown to Delhi a couple of days later and is being probed. The issue has been reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is also examining the same,” the report added, citing people in the know.

Air India, which said it would be treating the matter "sternly", added that it regretted the inconvenience caused to passengers, and that the pilot had been taken off flight duties till the end of the DGCA probe into the incident.

"Pending the outcome of the investigation, any confirmed violation will attract strict disciplinary action in line with company policy," the airline pointed out.

"It happens, but they almost always get caught. A good co pilot (and this goes for either seat) will try to spot it before they wreck their career and have them call out sick. Some people require consequences though," a Redditor said in an online forum about pilots drinking before flying.

"I'm guessing it probably happens more than we want to admit ... scary to think about," another Redditor wrote, in the discussion.

"What a shame and a security issue it could be !!" an X user wrote.