Earlier in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the Lok Sabha was told that in the last three years 122 pilots—110 of whom were first-time violators—of domestic airlines have been found inebriated prior to takeoff. Medical examinations are conducted on all pilots to ensure they are fit to fly.
Mumbai airport registered the most drunk pilots with 34, followed by Delhi (31), Kolkata (18), Chennai (10) and Bangalore (9). There are some international airports in which Indian pilots were tested like Bangkok, Prague, Istanbul and Sharjah.
Among the airlines, Jet Airways pilots were ‘flying’ the highest; 33 of the 112 were from Jet. Indigo reported the second highest with 25 pilots, Spice Jet with 20 and Air India with 19.
In the first half of 2016, 23 pilots were caught as opposed to 43 in 2015, 30 in 2015 and 26 in 2013.
First-time violators are suspended for three months while second-time offenders, three years.
