AI pilot's licence suspended for 3 years after failing breath analyser test

Air India senior pilot Arvind Kathpalia's licence has been suspended for three years with effect from Sunday. The decision came a day after he tested positive in a pre-flight breath analyser (BA) test.

"In the case of Air India pilot Capt. Arvind Kathpalia being detected BA positive yesterday, the privileges of his licence have been suspended for a period of three years," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Monday.

Kathpalia, who was scheduled to fly AI-111 flight from Delhi to London on Sunday, was found positive in a pre-flight BA test and declared "not fit to fly".

According to the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), Kathpalia had skipped the BA test on January 19 last year, after which the DGCA had suspended Kathpalia for a period of three months.

It is mandatory for pilots to undertake the BA test to ensure that they are not in an inebriated state before entering the cockpit. For safety reasons, they are prohibited from consuming alcohol before reporting for duty.