![\"From](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133497187,imgsize-32888,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/dope-test-for-all-pilots.jpg\" "\\"The")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: The aviation ministry is considering mandating dope tests for all pilots at least once a year, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Tuesday.The current rules require dope testing of 10 per cent of the overall pilot network, but the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is examining whether testing can be expanded to cover every pilot at a random time during the year.\u201cThere are multiple ways of approaching this dope test. Right now, the rule says 10% across the overall pilot network. DGCA is engaging, and one of the opinions from our side is that everyone has to go through it in the year at a random time,\u201d Naidu told reporters.The minister added the government would need to balance aviation safety with the operational impact of implementing 100 per cent testing.\u201cWe have to see how all the stakeholders are going to respond to this because one is the safety aspect of it, and the second thing is the operational impact, which also has to be taken into consideration,\u201d he said.Meanwhile, addressing the recent Delhi-Phuket flight incident, Naidu said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the incident and a preliminary report is expected soon.The minister said the flight data recorder and the aircraft are intact and in the possession of the investigating agency, which would help in the probe.\u201cAAIB is presently taking up the investigation. Because everything is intact, the flight data recorder and everything is intact, and the plane is also in their possession, I believe that we can expect a preliminary report very early from now,\u201d he said.Naidu also said the DGCA is holding consultations with stakeholders on existing regulations concerning substance use and ways to strengthen the policy.\u201cMore importantly, in terms of substance use and everything, DGCA is also having stakeholder consultations right now on what the regulation says today and how we ensure there is a strict policy around this in the future as well. So, this consultation is going on right now,\u201d he said.The AAIB is examining the circumstances surrounding the incident, while the DGCA consultations are focused on reviewing existing regulations and strengthening safeguards related to substance use in aviation.The development comes after Air India flight AI2379, operating from Phuket to Delhi on August 4, experienced a sudden 300-foot altitude drop over Odisha, leaving 20 passengers and four cabin crew members injured.<\/p>\n Share your thoughts in the comments<\/p>\n<\/div>\n