India has decided to expand the horizon of the breath analyser test to almost everyone involved in the aviation ecosystem including air traffic controllers, aircraft engineers and ground handling operators.
At present, only pilots and cabin crew have to mandatorily undergo such tests.
With this, India will join the likes of the US and Europe which require mandatory breath analyser tests for aviation officials other than pilots and engineers.
The breath analyser test is used to determine if the crew is under the influence of alcohol while reporting for work. In January-October, 2018, breath analyser test violations per 10,000 (flight) departures were 2.01. In 2015-2017, the figures were 2.57, 2.44 and 2.46, respectively.
