{
  "id": 2061096,
  "title": "DGCA may drug-test over 25% of airline crew",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/dgca-may-drug-test-over-25-of-airline-crew",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-19T16:09:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/dgca-may-mandate-random-psychoactive-substance-tests-for-over-25-flight-crew-across-indian-airlines/articleshow/133353071.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) may soon require Indian airlines to drug-test over 25% of their flight crew members annually, according to top official sources. This proposed requirement would significantly tighten the existing testing regime, where at least 10% of applicable personnel are currently tested through random urine-based screenings. The move comes after the Air India AI-2379 incident, which involved an altitude loss and passenger injuries, leading to heightened scrutiny of flight crew safety and substance-use protocols. The DGCA is expected to release preliminary findings on the AI-2379 incident within the next 10 days, following a representation submitted by the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) demanding oral-fluid tests as a complementary screening method.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}