Indian pilots face jail for flying under influence of alcohol

The pilots were flying on international routes and were found drunk once they landed in India

Getting sloshed before entering the cockpit can soon put pilots behind the bars in India. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airline operators to lodge First Information Report (FIR) against two pilots of Air India and Jet Airways. The duo were flying on international routes and were found drunk once they landed in India. While the Jet Airways pilot on the Abu Dhabi-Chennai flight was found drunk on arrival on August 3, the Air India was flying on the Sharjah-Kozhikode route.

"To ensure compliance with the rule, you are requested to lodge FIR against the above crew members with the police station of appropriate jurisdiction within a period of one week," Lalit Gupta, joint director general, DGCA has written to Air India Chief Managing Director Ashwani Lohani and Amit Agarwal, chief of Jet Airways. The regulator has also asked the airlines for a copy of the FIR to ensure compliance.