All cockpit and cabin crew to undergo breath analyser test before take-off or on landing

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 21

Revising the procedures for medical examination of aircraft personnel for alcohol consumption over six years after they were last issued, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked all scheduled operators operating flights originating from India to subject each flight crew member and cabin crew member to pre-flight breath-analyser examination at first departure airport during a flight duty period.

In a Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) on flight safety released on December 20, the civil regulator has directed all operators to keep doctors, trained paramedics or emergency medical technicians on full-time employment of the company to conduct pre-flight breath-analyser examination at a designated place within the airport premises.

The CAR, last revised in August 2015, is applicable to Indian operators engaged in scheduled air transport services for carriage of passengers, mail or cargo, Indian non-scheduled or private operators and flying training institutes. Central government and state government civil aviation departments and public sector companies also come under its purview.

“If a crew member operates a flight without undergoing the pre-flight breath-analyser examination, the chief of operations of the concerned airline shall ensure that the involved crew member is off-rostered at the first point of landing and the same is reported to DGCA,” the revised CAR states.

Any additional crew member required to travel in the cockpit, shall also be subjected to pre-flight breath-analyser examination.

Further, for all scheduled flights originating from destinations outside India, post-flight breath-analyser examination of each flight crew and cabin crew shall be carried out at the first port of landing in India. Post-flight examination shall be carried out preferably inside the aircraft after its arrival.

In case of diversion of flights due to unforeseen circumstances to an airport where facility for pre-flight breath-analyser examination is not available, the flight crew and cabin crew shall undergo post-flight breath-analyser examination at first landing.

Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules specifies that no person on duty as a pilot, commander, navigator, engineer, cabin crew or the other operating member of the crew shall have consumed any alcoholic drink, sedative, narcotic, or stimulant drug preparation within 12 hours of the commencement of the flight, or used any such substance in the course of the flight.

The CAR states that even when the blood alcohol levels are zero in the body, there could be some effect of hangover, which is mainly due to congeners. These may take 15 to 18 hours to get dissipated and may produce ill effects for up to 36 hours, cause decrement in task performance and jeopardise flight safety.

Crew members have also been prohibited to use any drug or formulation or use any other substance, mouthwash or tooth gel which has alcoholic content. Any crew member who is to undergo such medication shall consult the company doctor before undertaking flying assignment, the CAR states.

All flying training institutes are also to ensure that each instructor shall undergo a pre-flight breath-analyzer examination before undertaking the first flight of the day. At least 40 percent of student pilots shall also be subjected to pre-flight breath-analyser daily.

The penalty for the first time breath-analyzer test being positive will be suspension of licence for three months. The second time will attract license suspension for three years while the third time will result in cancellation of the license. If an expatriate pilot operating in India is detected positive for alcohol consumption during pre-flight examination, his permission shall be cancelled and shall not be considered again.