Under the influence

India’s aviation regulator, the DGCA, has acted, suspending pilots licences and withdrawing authorisation for the cabin crew to work. “The concerned airlines, in compliance with DGCA’s order, have grounded all these pilots and cabin crew,” said Raju. India’s Aircraft Rules, which are pretty much the same as anywhere else, prohibit consumption of intoxicating and psychoactive substances “by persons acting as, or carried in aircraft for the purpose of acting as pilot, commander, navigator, engineer, cabin crew or other operating members of the crew”.

Without providing specific details, Raju said that during recent surveillance carried out by the regulator, it was also found that one scheduled airline was not strictly adhering to the requirements regarding breath analyser checks. He added that 208 irregularities by pilots of various airlines have been reported to DGCA during 2015 and this year, which appears to indicated the problem is worsening.

The good news was that records showed there have been no recent cases reported of an engineer taxiing an aircraft under the influence of drink.
Of course, India hasn’t been alone in experiencing such incidents.

There have been several cases in the U.S. this year. An American Airlines pilot flunked two sobriety tests before a 7 a.m. flight out of Detroit and an Alaska Airlines pilot flew a commercial plane from California to Oregon and back again, all while allegedly drunk. Incidentally, while it had nothing to do with drink, another pilot, from United Airlines this time, allegedly moonlighted as a pimp, running half a dozen brothels out of apartments in Houston, according to authorities.

Perhaps he wasn’t getting paid enough. Worryingly, a retired military pilot who holds a Federal Aviation Administration Airline Transport Pilot license reviewed FAA data on the drinking issue and found the trend was increasing, not decreasing. “The general public probably has no idea that this abuse is occurring with such regularity at certain airlines,” he declared.

It must be said however, that of the tens of thousands of pilots flying for airlines around the world the number caught abusing the system is miniscule. For example, in the U.S., of the more than 56,000 alcohol screening tests done in 2015 for pilots, mechanics, aircraft dispatchers, ground security coordinators, aviation screeners, and traffic controllers, just 119 – or around 0.2 per cent – were confirmed at or above the legal limit. Under FAA rules, pilots are not allowed to consume alcohol eight hours before a flight or have a blood alcohol content level higher than .04 percent.

Small as the numbers are, however, it is a serious problem.

Between 2010 and 2015, FAA records show 64 pilots were cited for violating the alcohol and drug provisions, and in 2015, some 1,546 personnel who must ensure airline safety, including 38 pilots, tested positive for one or more of five illegal drugs.

Small as the numbers are, however, it is a serious problem. Especially in India where air traffic has been growing at monthly rates above 20 per cent. With fierce competition carriers are still struggling to make decent profits.

The pressure on pilots to make sure flights are on time, or to land when conditions might be marginal, is intense. It is understandable that, like the rest of the world’s population, there will be those who find some sort of escape in alcohol.

Interestingly, a google search on the issue, and a quick chat at a recent conference with several civil aviation executives didn’t turn up any evidence there was a real problem anywhere in Asia outside India.

But it is difficult to believe it isn’t happening, especially when you look at high growth markets such as China and Indonesia, or elsewhere in the region where congestion at airports and along airways is continuing to worsen, piling more and more pressure on to what is already a high pressure job, the business of piloting commercial aircraft packed with hundreds of passengers. It is something authorities need to keep a close watch on.

In the meantime, Happy New year to all the pilots and cabin crew across Asia-Pacific. Have a drink on me… as long as you’re not about to fly.