Senior Air India Pilot suspended for three months for failing breath analyser test

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday suspended Air India's senior pilot Arvind Kathpalia for three months as he failed the Breath Analyser (BA) test. Reacting to the incident, the Air India Pilot Union wrote a letter to the DCGA saying it wasn’t satisfied with the action taken against the pilot.The DGCA rule of mandatory breath analyser test left all airline pilots and crew members in a state of shock where the figure showed a rise of 10 percent failing this safety test. The DGCA has also called three doctors of Air India in connection with Arvind Kathpalia’s case. On Wednesday, the DGCA had sent an email to Air India chairman to ground Arvind Kathpalia with an immediate action.

The Air India Pilots Union, the Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) had sent a legal notice to the DGCA for not taking proper actions against pilots for violation of breath analyser test.
As per aviation regulator DGCA, 224 pilots and crew failed the test in 2016, whereas in the year 2015, 202 pilots and crew failed the test.

Any crew member who tests positive in the pre-flight medical check or refuses to take a breath analyzer test is required to be taken off flying duty for at least four weeks and the airline is required to initiate disciplinary proceedings. Aircraft rules prohibit crew members from taking any alcohol 12 hours prior to a flight. It is mandatory for the employee to undergo an alcohol test both before and after operating a flight.