‘50% crew members to be subjected to random pre-flight alcohol test daily’

Airlines must ensure that 50 per cent of cockpit and cabin crew members are subjected to pre-flight alcohol test daily, aviation regulator DGCA said on Tuesday.

Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, all crew members were required to undergo pre-flight alcohol tests. When the pandemic began, these tests were suspended for a couple of months. Later, the tests were resumed but for only a small percentage of crew members.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday issued a notice mentioning that 50 per cent crew members will undergo these tests “in view of reducing trend of COVID-19 cases and increase in volume of air traffic as a result of resumption of normal operation”.