The Air India pilot on the Phuket\u2013Delhi flight that was hit by severe\nturbulence on 4 August has tested positive for cannabis. This was\nrevealed in a drug test, as reported by the New Indian Express on\nThursday (13\/8\/2026).<\/p>\n
The Airbus A320 flight, AI 2379, which was carrying 145 people,\nexperienced a drop in altitude of around 300 feet in the air over\nOdisha, a state in eastern India. A total of 17 people, including four\ncabin crew, were injured in the incident, which was initially described\nas \u201crelated to a technical fault\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pilot who served as pilot-in-command on the Air India\nDelhi\u2013Phuket flight tested positive for cannabis use in a confirmatory\ndrug test,\u201d the report stated, citing two sources familiar with the\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
A pilot also confirmed the development. The captain, who is in his\nlate 30s, is likely to face severe sanctions, including dismissal by Air\nIndia.<\/p>\n
The pilot has already been removed from the flight schedule. This\nalso applies to the co-pilot on the same flight.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Tuesday, India\u2019s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu\nwarned that action would be taken if pilots were proven to have used\nprohibited substances. He also said he would summon Air India CEO\nCampbell Wilson regarding the Phuket flight incident.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a pilot is proven to have misused any substance, it will be dealt\nwith very seriously. If existing regulations need to be adjusted, we\nwill do so as well,\u201d he told reporters the day before yesterday.<\/p>\n
Previously, after the incident on 4 August, the authorities at Indira\nGandhi International Airport in Delhi were asked by the Aircraft\nAccident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) to carry out two types of checks. A\nsource said that after the aircraft arrived in Delhi, both pilots\nunderwent breathalyser tests to detect alcohol content, and the results\nwere negative for both.<\/p>\n
They then underwent blood and urine tests. Because the results of the\nmain pilot\u2019s examination showed the presence of psychotropic substances,\na confirmatory test was carried out again and the samples were sent to a\ncertified laboratory to confirm the results.<\/p>\n
\u201cHair samples were also taken,\u201d the source added.<\/p>\n
Air India said it was not aware of the initial test results or the\nfinal test results. The company declined to comment.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/air-india-pilot-tests-positive-for-cannabis-after-flight-carrying-145-plunges-300-feet-1786600279", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }