New Delhi, August 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The pilot of the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that encountered severe turbulence could face cancellation of his flying licence and other penalties if his dope test is officially found positive, Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) president Captain CS Randhawa said on Sunday.
Randhawa, however, said there had been no official confirmation of the reported test result and cautioned against drawing conclusions until the findings are formally released.
“Currently, the doping test results are not out officially by the airline, so we will wait for the official confirmation. I won’t comment that that test is positive,” he said.
He said a confirmed positive result could have serious professional consequences for the pilot, including possible cancellation of his licence, besides penalties and other measures that could affect his career.
“If the test seems positive, then the license cancellation of the pilot can also take place because of this. The penalty also can be put up on the pilot as well also for the future, also few of the things he can suffer from this, but still I will say we have to wait for the report about the doping test, and then only we can comment on it,” Randhawa said.
His comments came amid reports that the captain of Air India flight AI2379, operating from Phuket to Delhi, allegedly tested positive for psychoactive substances after the aircraft encountered severe turbulence, leaving several passengers and crew members injured.
Air India has said it conducts regular drug testing of crew members in accordance with civil aviation regulations. The airline also said that while a post-flight screening test was conducted on the pilots as per applicable protocols, its results had not been shared with the airline.
The Airbus A320 encountered severe turbulence while flying over Odisha and experienced a sudden altitude variation of around 300 feet. The aircraft later stabilised and landed safely at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
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