10 pilots found tipsy during pre-flight checks in the first half of 2014

Ten pilots were found tipsy in pre-flight checks and have been grounded in the first six months of this year, Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.

Since 2011, a total of 99 pilots, including the 10, have been grounded for testing positive in the pre-flight medical examination for alcohol consumption, Minister of State for Civil Aviation G M Siddeshwara said in reply to a question.

While 17 of them tested positive in 2011, the number shot up to 41 in 2012, 31 in 2013 and 10 till July 14 this year, he said.

Aircraft rules prohibit consumption of liquor or any intoxicating material and allow checks to be carried out on pilots, navigators, engineers and cabin crew ahead of a flight. 

In a similar scenario last month, out of the 42 cases of pilots reporting drunk for duty, as many as 21 cases were detected at Delhi airport. Another 11 were found under the influence of alcohol at Mumbai airport. Delhi accounted for half the cases of drunkenness among pilots detected last year, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

In response to an RTI enquiry by Abhishek Shukla, the DGCA has now revealed some details of the disciplinary action taken against the "tipsy" pilots. Read more.