Two more Air India pilots fail preliminary drug tests

Two additional Air India pilots have received nonnegative preliminary results in mandatory psychoactive substance screenings, officials said on Monday, marking the first such findings since the airline group implemented compulsory testing for all its pilots earlier this month. The development follows the controversial incident involving an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi on August 4, which prompted the new safety measures.

The pilots' samples have been sent for confirmatory laboratory testing, a process officials said typically requires 24 to 48 hours to complete. Both pilots have been derostered pending the final results. Authorities emphasized that a nonnegative preliminary screening result does not by itself confirm that a pilot consumed a prohibited substance. The initial test is designed to identify the possible presence of a substance or its chemical markers, triggering further analysis to establish consumption.

The mandatory testing program across the Air India group began on August 13. It was instituted after the pilot-in-command of the Phuket-Delhi flight reportedly failed two urine tests conducted after landing, with marijuana detected. According to multiple...