=The investigation is examining the circumstances surrounding the aircraft's sudden altitude variation and the actions of the flight crew.
The pilot-in-command of an Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that experienced a sudden 300-foot altitude drop last week has tested positive for a psychoactive substance, identified by sources as marijuana, in a confirmatory test. This development comes as Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu met with Air India executives to discuss the serious incident, which left 24 people injured.
Air India and Air India Express are implementing mandatory psychoactive substance testing for all their 5,000+ pilots. This decision follows an incident where the pilot of a Phuket-Delhi flight, which experienced a sudden altitude drop injuring 24 people, tested positive for marijuana. The testing aims to enhance safety standards and reassure passengers.
China has cancelled drone shows and suspended drone flights across several provinces following a small plane crash in Beijing that raised significant security concerns, especially near top leadership compounds. This move signals a tightening of low-altitude aviation regulations, impacting the burgeoning "low-altitude economy" and civilian drone use, with new laws classifying illegal drone use as a public security threat.
On January 28 this year, a private charter plane carrying then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others crashed near the Baramati airstrip, killing all on board.
Air India has been issued a show-cause notice by the ministry of civil aviation after three Italian nationals travelled from Amritsar to Delhi and then to Munich without obtaining mandatory departure immigration clearance, highlighting a 'serious security and immigration-related lapse'.
Around 200 SpiceJet passengers protested at Delhi airport after their flights to Dubai were repeatedly rescheduled and delayed since Monday. The airline cited operational reasons due to an aircraft grounding and is arranging alternate flights, while the Civil Aviation Ministry and DGCA are monitoring SpiceJet's operations.
An Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi encountered severe mid-air turbulence, causing the aircraft to lose 300 feet in altitude. The incident resulted in injuries to 15 people, including 11 passengers and 4 cabin crew members, with one crew member sustaining severe injuries. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is investigating the event.
Multiple suspected drones were detected near the operational area of Amritsar's international airport, leading to the diversion of seven flights, including two international ones. The incident prompted a security alert and suspended flight operations for 90 minutes.
The Civil Aviation Ministry and the DGCA are actively discussing to make psychoactive substance testing standards for all commercial pilots.
Aviation regulator DGCA had flagged safety issues concerning Tecnam aircraft over a month before a Tecnam P2006T training aircraft crashed in Kanpur on August 27, killing a trainee pilot and an instructor.
The pilots testing positive have been removed from duty, with their samples sent for confirmatory testing.
An Air India Airbus A320 experienced a near-simultaneous loss of all three hydraulic systems at 36,000 feet on a Phuket-Delhi flight, injuring 24 people. The pilot-in-command was subsequently terminated after testing positive for banned psychoactive substances, though the AAIB has not linked this to the technical failure.
The Federation of Indian Pilots has requested the DGCA to increase random drug testing for pilots, aiming to enhance aviation safety.
An Air India Airbus A320 experienced a near-simultaneous loss of all three hydraulic systems mid-flight, causing an altitude upset and injuring 24 people. A preliminary investigation revealed the pilot-in-command tested positive for a psychoactive substance post-flight, leading to their termination, while the technical aspects of the incident are still under scrutiny.
An Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi experienced a sudden loss of altitude, leading to injuries and prompting a psychoactive substance screening for the pilot-in-command, with confirmatory test results now awaited.
An accidental firing incident occurred at Varanasi's Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport when a passenger's licensed pistol discharged during security screening, injuring a female security personnel and another individual. Both injured parties have been hospitalised, and legal action is being initiated.
An Air India A320 flight from Phuket to Delhi experienced a sudden 300-foot altitude drop due to multiple technical glitches, including triple hydraulic failures and autopilot disconnection, injuring 17 people. An investigation by AAIB, with assistance from French agency BEA and Airbus, is underway, while the pilot-in-command is undergoing confirmatory psychoactive substance testing.
Air India has confirmed that all 13 passengers injured during severe mid-air turbulence on a Phuket-Delhi flight have been discharged from hospital. However, four crew members involved in the incident continue to receive medical treatment. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating the matter.
Two Air India Group pilots have failed initial drug tests, with their samples sent for confirmatory analysis. This comes after mandatory psychoactive substance testing was implemented following an incident where a pilot tested positive for marijuana after a flight lost altitude.
A passenger on a Kuala Lumpur-Kochi Batik Air flight was arrested for allegedly attempting to open an emergency exit, damaging a window panel, and threatening fellow passengers and cabin crew. The incident occurred mid-flight, and the accused, Jamsheer Athanikkal, faces charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Aircraft Act, and Kerala Police Act.
An initial analysis reveals that an Air India Airbus A320 flying from Phuket to Delhi experienced multiple hydraulic system failures, leading to a four-second loss of flight controls and a sudden 300-foot altitude drop, injuring 24 people. The incident is under investigation by the AAIB, and the pilot-in-command subsequently tested positive for a psychoactive substance, prompting Air India to implement mandatory testing for all its pilots.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating two separate trainer aircraft incidents in Uttar Pradesh within four days. One involved a Cessna 152 crash-landing in Kasganj with the pilot safe, and the other saw a trainee pilot injured by a propeller at Kanpur airport.
Devastating flash floods in Nepal's Bhote Koshi River, triggered by a glacier or ice rock collapse, have resulted in 175 recovered bodies and hundreds missing, including tourists. India has promptly responded by providing 10 tons of humanitarian aid and medical supplies, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveying condolences and assuring full support to Nepal.
Delhi Police have arrested two men, including an aviation firm director and a dhaba owner, in connection with the assault on an Army brigadier and his son after the officer objected to them drinking alcohol in a car outside his residence.
The government has confirmed that Boeing's detailed examination of the Dreamliner aircraft's fuel control switch locking mechanism found no abnormality, following an Air India pilot's report of a possible issue. This investigation was prompted after an Air India flight from London to Bengaluru in February, and comes amidst an ongoing probe into a fatal Dreamliner crash last year where fuel supply to engines was cut off.
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, credited with stabilising Tata Sons after a boardroom coup and overseeing significant expansion, has announced his resignation as chairman, capping a nearly decade-long tenure marked by both successes and escalating tensions with the group's controlling charitable trusts.
The director of an aviation firm and a dhaba owner have been arrested in Delhi for assaulting an Army brigadier and his son after the officer objected to them drinking alcohol in public.
An Air India flight from Delhi to Amritsar briefly entered Pakistan airspace during a go-around manoeuvre at Amritsar airport. India's aviation regulator, DGCA, has taken interim action against an air traffic controller and the operating crew for failing to report the incident, which is now under internal investigation by Air India.
Air India Group has accumulated losses of about Rs 47,821 crore since its takeover, leaving its prolonged transformation among the biggest unfinished projects of N Chandrasekaran's tenure.
A search and rescue operation is underway for at least 10 climbers, including renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, who are missing on Pakistan's Broad Peak following a suspected avalanche on Thursday.
Torn between loyalty to their comrades and disillusionment towards the cause for which they are fighting, they are beginning to cave in. Morale has been the casualty, points out Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).
Veteran Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja and nine other climbers are missing after an avalanche struck their expedition on Pakistan's Broad Peak. Rescue efforts are underway but are being hampered by adverse weather conditions, raising concerns for the safety of the renowned climber and his team.
Flight operations at Pune airport have resumed after a fighter aircraft experienced a technical issue during landing, causing a temporary runway closure and affecting numerous flights.
Investigators have revealed that the pilot of a small plane that crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper, the CITIC Tower, suffered from long-term anxiety and had expressed suicidal thoughts in his diaries. The incident, which killed the pilot and injured 13 others, has raised significant security concerns in the highly sensitive Chinese capital, especially given strict airspace regulations.
Investigators have revealed that the pilot of a small plane that crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper, the CITIC Tower, suffered from long-term anxiety and had expressed suicidal thoughts in his diaries. The incident, which killed the pilot and injured 13 others, has raised significant security concerns in the highly sensitive Chinese capital, especially given strict airspace regulations.
Mumbai police have arrested six individuals in connection with an alleged attack on Sarwar Mohammad, working president of the All India Airports Aviation Employees Union, in the Vile Parle area. The incident involved a group attacking Mohammad's car near the airport, and a probe is ongoing to determine the motive.
Two Air India and Air India Express planes narrowly avoided a collision on the same runway at Mumbai airport after an Air India aircraft aborted its take-off on air traffic control instructions. The incident occurred when one plane was landing and the other was preparing for take-off, highlighting critical aviation safety protocols.
The UK's Civil Aviation Authority is investigating a fuel control switch issue on an Air India Boeing 787-8 at Heathrow Airport. The incident occurred before a flight to Bengaluru, prompting scrutiny from both UK and Indian aviation regulators.
A light sport aircraft crashed into Beijing's Citic Tower, the city's tallest skyscraper, prompting immediate evacuations. The incident occurred despite stringent airspace regulations in the Chinese capital, with details on casualties and the aircraft's origin still unclear.
