Air India captain's confirmatory drug test positive for marijuana, source says
NEW DELHI: The captain of an Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that suddenly lost about 91.44 metres (300 feet) of altitude last week has tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory drug test, a source familiar with the matter said.
An Air India captain who commanded a flight that unexpectedly dropped about 300 feet while flying from Phuket to Delhi has tested positive for marijuana in a reconfirmation drug test, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Earlier, India's Ministry of Civil Aviation had summoned Air India CEO Campbell Wilson regarding the incident, which took place on an Airbus A320neo aircraft.
The airline and the ministry had not commented on the matter. Wilson informed news outlets that the airline had briefed the ministry on the progress of the investigation into the incident. The summons was issued days after Indian authorities launched an investigation into the incident, which resulted in 13 passengers and four crew members suffering injuries.
The flight, carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, experienced a brief fluctuation in altitude while flying over Odisha, an eastern Indian state, according to government reports. The aircraft, with 137 passengers and eight crew members, landed safely in Delhi. On Sunday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation disclosed that the captain's initial screening for psychoactive substances had produced a result necessitating confirmatory laboratory testing.
Air India had claimed not to have been informed of the results. The airline, majority-owned by the Tata Group and with a roughly 25 percent stake held by Singapore Airlines, is majority-owned by the Tata Group.
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