New Delhi:
Fourteen pilots and 31 cabin crew members failed alcohol tests during the pre-flight medical examination between January and March this year, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said today.
"This year 14 pilots and 31 cabin crew members failed the breathalyser test, compared to four and 21 last year," Mr Singh said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
Of the 14 pilots, four are from Jet Airways, three from Air India, two each from Kingfisher Airlines, SpiceJet and IndiGo while one was from JetLite, he said, adding that last year only pilots were found under the influence of alcohol, of which two were of Kingfisher and one each of Jet Airways and JetLite.
Compared to 21 last year, this year 31 cabin crew members were caught drunk on duty. Of these 10 were from Jet Airways, nine from IndiGo, three each from JetLite, Air India and SpiceJet while one each were from Kingfisher, Go Airways and Air India Express.
Mr Singh informed the House that as per the Civil Aviation Regulation (CAR), licences of first time offender were suspended for three months while those caught for the second time had their licences cancelled for five years.
The licence of a Jetlite pilot was cancelled for five years as he tested positive for second time while the services of a cabin crew member of the same airline were terminated as per company procedure as she was on probation, Mr Singh said.
Last year, between January and March, no pilot and cabin crew member of Air India and Air India Express were found reporting under the influence of alcohol.