FIP Demands Faster Saliva Drug Screening From DGCA (Img: AI generated)
New Delhi: The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to overhaul the existing drug testing system for aviation personnel, calling for more frequent checks and the introduction of saliva-based screening.
In a formal communication to the aviation regulator, the pilots’ body has proposed increasing the annual random drug testing quota from the current 10% to at least 25% of eligible personnel. It has also suggested that the same pilot may be tested more than once a year to strengthen safety monitoring.
The Federation of Indian Pilots has recommended introducing oral-fluid (saliva) testing as an additional method alongside the existing urine-based drug tests.
According to FIP, saliva tests can provide faster results and can be conducted at airports or during ground operations, reducing the time required for sample collection.
The pilots’ body believes that India’s rapidly expanding aviation sector requires a more effective monitoring system compared to the decade-old testing benchmark.
The push for stricter screening comes after increased scrutiny of pilot drug testing procedures following recent aviation incidents. Air India recently expanded drug testing to all its pilots after a captain involved in a Phuket-Delhi flight incident tested positive for marijuana during a confirmatory test.
The airline had initiated mandatory substance screening for its entire pilot workforce, going beyond the DGCA’s existing requirement of random testing for at least 10% of flight crew annually.
The pilots’ federation has stressed that the proposed changes are aimed at improving safety standards and not reducing strictness.
It said that any positive screening result should continue to go through a complete process involving:
A preliminary positive result alone should not be considered proof of impairment, the federation said.
FIP has also recommended creating a confidential declaration system where pilots can disclose prescribed medicines, supplements or other substances before testing.
The aim is to prevent genuine medication use from triggering false-positive results.
