Quick summary
Air India has launched mandatory substance screening for its entire pilot workforce — covering both Air India and Air India Express — following an August 4 altitude-loss incident on flight AI 2379 from Phuket to Delhi that injured multiple passengers and crew. The program, which began August 13, tests for prohibited substances and restricted medications, and goes well beyond India’s regulatory floor requiring random screening of just 10% of pilots annually.
The pilot-in-command returned a positive result for marijuana in post-flight testing, though investigators have not established a causal link to the altitude loss. India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading the formal inquiry, with Airbus and France’s aviation safety agency providing technical support.
An Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi dropped roughly 300 feet shortly after departure on August 4, injuring passengers and crew in what Indian investigators are now formally examining as a serious airworthiness event. Both pilots were removed from flying duties. Post-flight substance testing on the pilot-in-command returned a positive result for marijuana.
The airline’s response was swift and unusually broad. Rather than a targeted review of the crew involved, Air India issued an internal directive on August 13 requiring every pilot in the group — including those at low-cost subsidiary Air India Express — to undergo substance screening immediately. That is a significant departure from India’s existing rules, which require carriers to randomly test just 10% of flight crew each year.
Reuters obtained and reported on the internal memo confirming the policy, which covers substances and medications not permitted under current aviation rules. Testing is being conducted at Air India’s academy, briefing centers, and offices, integrated into existing training schedules.
The move comes nine weeks after the June 2025 crash of an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London that killed 241 people on board and 19 on the ground, with a single survivor. Air India is now operating under a new chief executive, Tewolde Gebremariam, formerly the head of Ethiopian Airlines.
What the investigation has confirmed — and what it hasn’t
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading the inquiry into flight AI 2379, with technical assistance from Airbus and France’s aviation safety agency, the BEA. The AAIB has not publicly confirmed the marijuana finding, and Air India told Channel NewsAsia that the pilot test results had not been shared with the airline directly.
That distinction matters. A positive post-flight drug test establishes that a prohibited substance was present — it does not establish that impairment caused the altitude loss. The investigation is ongoing, and the two pilots remain off flying duties while it continues.
The Telegraph reported that India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation is also reviewing its testing rules for aviation staff more broadly, which could signal a regulatory response beyond Air India’s internal action.
The injury count from the August 4 incident remains unresolved in public reporting. The original news brief cited 17 injured; Channel NewsAsia reported at least 24 passengers were injured. Neither figure has been officially confirmed by the AAIB.
| Date | Event | Status / Impact |
|---|---|---|
| August 4, 2026 | AI 2379 (Phuket–Delhi) loses ~300 ft of altitude shortly after departure | Multiple passengers and crew injured; both pilots removed from duty |
| Post-August 4 | Pilot-in-command undergoes post-flight substance testing | Confirmatory result positive for marijuana; causation not established |
| August 12–13, 2026 | Air India issues internal memo on mandatory pilot screening | 100% of Air India and Air India Express pilots covered; testing begins August 13 |
| Ongoing | AAIB investigation into altitude change and crew conduct | Airbus and France’s BEA providing technical assistance; no preliminary report published |
| Ongoing | DGCA reviewing national testing rules for aviation staff | Potential regulatory change beyond Air India’s internal policy |
For travelers on flights from Europe to India, the safety picture at Air India is the most relevant operational variable right now.
Flight deals
most people never see
Our AI monitors 150+ airlines for pricing anomalies that traditional search engines miss. Air Traveler Club members save $650 per trip per person on average: see how it works.
Each deal saves 40–80% vs. regular fares:
Why 100% screening is a different kind of signal
India’s DGCA sets a floor, not a ceiling. The requirement to randomly test 10% of pilots annually is a minimum compliance threshold — airlines are free to go further, and most haven’t. Air India’s decision to test its entire pilot workforce in one sweep is operationally significant precisely because it wasn’t required.
There’s a practical logic to it. A targeted post-incident check on one crew tells you about that crew. A company-wide screen tells you — and your regulator, your insurers, and your passengers — that you are not managing a single anomaly but resetting a standard. The difference is institutional rather than procedural.
For rival Indian carriers, the reputational pressure is now visible. Air India has set an internal benchmark that others will be measured against, even if the DGCA doesn’t mandate it. Whether that translates into voluntary action at other airlines, or whether it takes a regulatory push, will become clearer in the weeks ahead.
Long-haul travelers weighing Air India against Gulf or European competitors on India routes will likely read the policy as an attempt to answer safety questions with operational action rather than public relations. Whether that’s sufficient depends on what the AAIB’s investigation ultimately concludes about the August 4 event itself.
Steps for Air India passengers right now
Air India is operating under active safety scrutiny on all international routes — the AAIB investigation is open, the DGCA is reviewing national testing rules, and the airline’s new leadership is implementing visible operational changes. This is not a grounding scenario, but it is a moment to be informed.
- Check your flight status before connecting through Delhi or Mumbai. Operational disruptions tied to crew removals or scheduling adjustments are possible. Air India’s official flight status page is the most reliable source — third-party aggregators lag.
- Verify your travel insurance covers in-flight medical incidents. Standard trip cancellation policies do not. Look specifically for emergency medical and evacuation coverage that applies while airborne, not just at the destination.
- If you are booking India–Europe or India–North America routes in the next 60 days, compare schedules on the same city pairs. Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Lufthansa all operate competing frequencies, and Air Traveler Club’s tracking occasionally flags temporary fare drops on Europe–India routes that make alternatives cost-competitive.
- Monitor the AAIB’s preliminary report. Indian accident investigations typically release a preliminary finding within 30 days of an incident. The AAIB’s report on AI 2379 will be the first official account of what caused the altitude loss — and whether crew conduct is cited as a contributing factor.
- If you are already booked on Air India, the expanded pilot screening is a positive operational development. There is no current safety directive from the DGCA or any foreign regulator suspending or restricting Air India operations.
Watch: The DGCA’s review of national testing rules — expected within weeks — will indicate whether India’s regulatory floor moves from 10% toward something closer to Air India’s new standard. If it does, it sets a new baseline for every Indian carrier. If it doesn’t, Air India’s policy remains a voluntary outlier rather than an industry shift.
Questions? Answers.
Did the positive marijuana test cause the altitude loss on flight AI 2379?
Investigators have not established a causal link. The positive post-flight test confirms that a prohibited substance was present in the pilot-in-command’s system, but the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s inquiry into what caused the altitude change is ongoing. The two findings — the substance result and the altitude event — are being investigated separately and in parallel.
Does Air India’s new testing policy mean the airline is unsafe to fly?
No regulatory authority — including India’s DGCA, the FAA, or EASA — has issued a safety directive restricting or suspending Air India operations. The expanded pilot screening is a proactive internal measure, not a response to a regulatory enforcement action. The AAIB investigation into the August 4 incident remains open.
How does Air India’s new 100% screening compare to what other airlines do?
Most airlines operate at or near their national regulator’s minimum. India’s DGCA requires random testing of at least 10% of pilots annually. Air India’s decision to screen its entire pilot workforce in a single sweep goes well beyond that floor and beyond standard practice at most Indian carriers. Some international carriers in the US and EU operate under stricter national frameworks, but airline-wide blanket screening triggered by a single incident is uncommon.
What happens to the two pilots removed from duty?
Both pilots remain off flying duties while the AAIB investigation continues. The Telegraph reported that the DGCA is also involved in reviewing the case. Their employment status — suspended, terminated, or under investigation — has not been officially confirmed by Air India or the DGCA.
