India has seen 181 incidents of airline pilots failing alcohol tests in the past 3 years

• 181 pilots of scheduled and non-scheduled operators in India were reported drunk in the alcohol test between 2015 and 2018.
  
• India’s civil aviation minister Jayant Sinha said 43 pilots were found to have consumed alcohol during the tests in 2015.
  
• In 2018 alone the number of such cases was 49.
  

Finding out that the pilot on an airline failed an alcohol test just before a flight is the stuff of nightmares. Yet, it appears that scenario has become quite common in India.

As many as 181 pilots of scheduled and non-scheduled airline operators failed alcohol tests between 2015 and 2018, Economic Times reported, citing India’s civil aviation ministry.

Speaking about the number of such cases, where the test results showed ‘positive’, the Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha said 43 pilots were found drunk in 2015 while the number of pilots who failed the test in 2016 stood at 44.

There was certainly no drop in such cases in the next two years. In 2017 and 2018, the number of cases reported was 45 and 49 respectively.

Delhi and Mumbai, which are also the prime cities to board flights in India, lead the list of cases where pilots have failed in alcohol test, reported India Today citing an RTI filed by an Indian media house. Both the cities have reported 18 cases each. The second in the list was Chennai followed by Bengaluru.

Indian airlines have been struggling with unethical behaviour of pilots in India.

Recently, The Directorate General of Aviation cancelled the license of Air India Captain, Arvind Kathpalia for three years since he failed the breath analyser test.

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