Recently, an Air India pilot was held in Sharjah who was found under the influence of alcohol, following which he was not allowed to fly the aircraft. Due to this reason, all passengers of the flight faced a three-hour delay. The medical report revealed that the percentage of alcohol content was high in the body of the pilot; hence, the airline replaced the pilot immediately for ensuring the safety of the passengers. Alcohol in bodies even in small quantities jeopardises flight safety on several counts and it stays in the system for different times with different people. British law forbids pilots from having more than 0.02 percent alcohol in their bloodstream.

This is not the first instance of a pilot suspected of being intoxicated. Last year, a Pakistani International Airlines (PIA) pilot was jailed for nine months in Britain for being drunk before he was due to fly a plane with 156 people on board. Another pilot was asked to leave the cockpit during check of a flight from Leeds Bradford airport to Islamabad because he was smelling of alcohol and unsteady on his feet. In the US, a pilot was removed from the cockpit when someone detected alcohol in his breath. Many airlines have no tolerance for violation of the alcohol policy.

As per rules of the Indian Civil Aviation, pilots will be kept off flying and their license would be suspended for three months if caught drunk for the first time at work. In case of a second violation, the license of the crew member shall be suspended for a period of three years. In case of a third violation, the license of the crew member will be cancelled. There is an important and serious point that if a drunken pilot goes unnoticed and on the first violation, the flight encounters an accident, who would be responsible for the consequences?

Instead of waiting for repeated violations due to alcohol related issues, it should be made compulsory that persons using alcohol or drugs will not be eligible for the post of pilot or co-pilot. Such precautionary measures are extremely essential to save the lives of valued passengers.

— The reader is a Pakistani office manager based in Dubai