From next year, the flight crew members will be drug tested by ADGCA

(PTI) New delhi date. 3

As per the rules issued by the aviation regulator DGCA, the drugs for the flight crew members and air traffic controllers will be tested by their company from July 31 next year. The newly issued rules state that the increasing use of psychoactive substances, their general availability and the growing habit of intoxication pose a serious threat to aircraft safety.

In this situation, flight crew members and air traffic controllers will be tested by their company for narcotics such as cannabis and cocaine. According to new rules issued by the DGCA, airlines and air navigation service providers are required to conduct random drug testing of at least 10 per cent of flight crew members and air traffic controllers each year.

Under the new rules, commercial aircraft operators, maintenance and repair organizations, flying training organizations and air navigation service providers will have to undergo drug testing before hiring any new employees.

As a rule, companies will have to test all aviation personnel who have previously refused to be tested before foreign regulators. All aviation personnel will be tested for intoxicants such as amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine, opiates, barbiturates and benzodiazepines. If an employee tests positive for a drug, the DGCA must be notified within 3 hours. The company should encourage its employees to report their own drug abuse.