Controversial Air India pilot gets, then loses new posting

Senior Air India pilot Arvind Kathpalia, who failed the alcohol test just before he was to command a flight on November 11 and was subsequently removed from the post of director (operations), has been appointed as a regional director by the national carrier.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had suspended the flying licence of the 56-year-old pilot for three years on November 12, a day after an “unacceptably high” alcohol count was found in his blood just before he was scheduled to pilot a flight from New Delhi to London.