Air India will expand mandatory drug testing for all pilots from Thursday following an Aug. 4 mid-air incident involving an Airbus A320neo, Reuters reported Thursday, citing an internal memo.
The expanded testing, screening for medications and substances banned under aviation rules, will cover pilots at both Air India and Air India Express, the report noted. Current regulations require airlines to randomly test at least 10% of flight crew annually.
The move follows the August 4 incident in which an Air India A320neo flying from Phuket to Delhi briefly lost about 300 feet of altitude during cruise. The flight captain was later tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory drug test, according to the report.
Air India did not immediately respond to' request for comment.
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