DGCA considering annual random drug tests for all pilots: Minister Ram Mohan Naidu

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is considering making random drug testing mandatory for all pilots at least once a year, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Tuesday, following the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight incident.

“But just like I said, DGCA is engaging, and one of the opinions from our side is that everyone has to go through it in the year at a random time,” Naidu told the media.

Currently, aviation regulations require drug testing of 10% of the overall pilot network. The minister said the regulator is consulting stakeholders on the existing rules governing substance use and possible changes to strengthen the policy.

"There are multiple ways of approaching this dope test. Right now, the rule says 10% across the overall pilot network. DGCA is engaging, and one of the opinions from our side is that everyone has to go through it in the year at a random time. We have to see how all the stakeholders are going to respond to this because one is the safety aspect of it, and the second thing is the operational impact, which also has to be taken into consideration. So we are going to balance both of them... But if we were to implement 100% testing—where every pilot has to undergo a dope test at least once a year—what impact would that have—the DGCA is strategising that..." the minister told the media.

Naidu said any change in the testing regime would have to balance aviation safety requirements with the operational impact on airlines.

What was the Air India Phuket-Delhi incident?

The Air India Phuket-Delhi incident involved flight AI2379 that suddenly lost about 300 feet in altitude en route to Delhi from Phuket on August 4, 2026, causing injury to 20 passengers and four cabin crew members, but landing successfully afterwards.

The Minister's comments come as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) investigates the incident. The minister said the investigation was underway and that the aircraft's data recorder remained intact, while the plane was still in its position.

“Because the data recorder and everything is intact, the plane has also been in its position, so I believe that we can expect some preliminary report very early from now,” he said.

The minister did not provide a specific timeline for the preliminary report.

DGCA consults stakeholders on strengthening substance-use rules

Separately, the DGCA's stakeholder consultation is examining how existing rules on substance use among aviation personnel can be strengthened. Naidu said the government was considering different approaches to drug testing, including whether annual random testing should apply across the entire pilot network, while taking into account both safety requirements and operational considerations.