New Delhi: Between January 1 and April 30, nine pilots and 32 cabin crew members failed pre-flight alcohol tests, according to India's aviation authority, the DGCA, news agency PTI reported.
"Of them, two pilots and two cabin-crew members have been suspended for a period of three years for being positive for the second time," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.
The remaining seven pilots and 30 cabin crew members were suspended for three months after testing positive for the first time on a breathalyzer, according to the report.
Last month, the DGCA ordered that airlines must guarantee that 50% of their cockpit and cabin crew members are submitted to daily pre-flight alcohol testing.
All crew members were required to undertake pre-flight alcohol testing prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The testing was put on hold for a few months when the pandemic began. The testing was then resumed, albeit only for a limited fraction of the crew.
"During the period of four months commencing from January 1, the DGCA has carried out 48 enforcement actions for violations of various requirements of the regulation regarding testing of crew for the consumption of alcohol," the aviation regulator was quoted by PTI in its report.
The DGCA has taken action against seven crew members for "missing BA tests or not submitting the declaration" in addition to the 41 crew members (nine pilots and 32 cabin crew members).
After a two-year hiatus due to Covid, India resumed regular foreign flights on March 27. On October 18 of last year, the nation restarted regular domestic flights.
(With PTI Inputs)