{"id":13831,"date":"2026-08-18T16:20:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T16:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=13831"},"modified":"2026-08-18T16:20:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T16:20:32","slug":"increase-drug-testing-from-10-to-25-for-pilots-fia-to-dgca-chief-vir-vikram-yadav-india-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=13831","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Increase drug testing from 10% to 25% for pilots:\u2019 FIA to DGCA chief Vir Vikram Yadav | India News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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FIP has identified certain medicines that may impact flight safety by causing drowsiness or sedation; impairing judgement or reaction time; reducing alertness and resulting in a positive or non-negative drug test.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NEW DELHI: As the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reviews the dope test requirement for flight crew members, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has asked the regulator to amend the current requirement for an operator to subject at least 10 per cent of pilots to this test annually to at least 25 per cent. FIP president Captain CS Randhawa has said in a mail to DGCA chief Vir Vikram Yadav that all stakeholders must establish a pilot \u201cpsychoactive-substance and medication awareness programme\u201d to make sure every pilot understands \u201ccertain prescription medicines, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, herbal preparations, supplements and other commonly available products may contain substances that can affect alertness, performance or produce a finding in a drug or alcohol test.\u201dFIP has identified certain medicines that may impact flight safety by causing drowsiness or sedation; impairing judgement or reaction time; reducing alertness and resulting in a positive or non-negative drug test. \u201cParticular attention should be given to: cough and cold preparations, as some preparations may contain alcohol, sedating antihistamines or other active ingredients that may affect fitness for duty. Antihistamines and anti-allergy medicines (that may)may cause significant sedation and impaired alertness; sleep and anxiety medicines; strong pain-relieving medicines; prescription psychiatric or neurological medicines; herbal and traditional medicines and supplements and performance products and alcohol-containing medicines and preparations.\u201d It has recommended a \u201ccheck before you take\u201d principle for pilots and that they should not start taking a new medicine without checking it for these things.\u201cA minimum percentage established several years ago should not remain static when the aviation environment, fleet size, pilot population and operational intensity have changed substantially. For pilots entrusted with the lives of passengers and crew, random psychoactive substance testing must be sufficiently frequent, genuinely random and unpredictable to provide meaningful deterrence and continuous safety assurance.<\/p>\n

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