112 pilots tested positive for alcohol prior to their flights between January 2013 and April 2016

As many as 112 pilots of various airlines tested positive for alcohol prior to the commencement of their flights from January 2013 till April 28, Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday.

As per the data available with DGCA, 112 pilots tested positive for alcohol during the pre-flight medical examination from January 2013 till April 28, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply in Lok Sabha. Of these, a maximum number of 33 pilots were from full service carrier Jet Airways, while 25 belonged to budget airline IndiGo, he said.

Nineteen pilots of national carrier Air India were found positive in the breath analyzer test during this period, he added.

A total of 30 pilots tested positive for alcohol during the pre-flight medical test in 2013. The number came down to 26 in 2014, he said. In 2015, 43 pilots tested positive for alcohol. Till April this year, the number stood at 13, he said.

Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules prohibits crew members from taking alcoholic drinks 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight. As per rules, the flying licence of a crew member found drunk on duty would be suspended for three months. The licence should be suspended for two years for a second offence and five years if the person is caught a third time.

"Action other than suspension is taken for the violation of Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules 1937," the minister said.

"However, no case of violation of Rule 24 in respect of pilot has come to the notice of DGCA during the last three years and current year," he said.