Fourteen Pilots Have Allegedly Reported For Duty Under The Influence

India's civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said Wednesday that fourteen pilots and 31 cabin crew members allegedly reported for duty under the influence of alcohol in the first three months of the year.

All 44 of the airline personnel reportedly failed pre-flight breathalizer tests, according to a report appearing on the IBN Live website from the Press Trust of India. The report indictes that many are crews flying for Jet Airways. Other crewmembers involved work for IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, JetLite, and Kingfisher. None are employed by GoAir or Air India Express, though one cremember from each of those airlines was found attempting to report for duty under the influence, but did not undergo breath analysis.

Singh said in a written statement that those numbers are higher than reported in the first quarter of 2011. Indian air regulations all flight and cabin crew members to undergo a pre-flight medical check. A first offence can result in a crewmember losing his or her license for 3 months, a second offence pulls the certificate for five years.

FMI: www.dgca.nic.in