The government is weighing a proposal to make drug testing mandatory for every pilot once a year, up from the current 10% sampling of the overall pilot network.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said, “Right now, the rule says 10 per cent across the overall pilot network,” while confirming that the DGCA is in discussions with stakeholders on expanding the testing regime.

The proposal follows the August 4 Air India flight AI2379 incident, when the Phuket-Delhi Airbus A320 lost around 300 feet of altitude after a hydraulic failure, injuring 17 people onboard before landing safely in Delhi.

The incident triggered concerns after a subsequent confirmatory drug test of the pilot-in-command reportedly returned positive for marijuana.

Air India subsequently expanded drug screening across its pilot workforce, with two more pilots later found to have failed preliminary drug tests and being removed from flight duties as a precaution.

Around 400 pilots have so far been screened as part of the airline’s expanded internal testing exercise following the incident.

Naidu said the discussions on strengthening testing rules are separate from the ongoing investigation into the Air India incident itself, which continues under separate review.

India’s aviation sector has been expanding rapidly in recent years, adding pressure on regulators to scale up safety and compliance infrastructure, including staffing and laboratory capacity for expanded testing regimes.

The incident triggered concerns after a subsequent confirmatory drug test of the pilot-in-command reportedly returned positive for marijuana.

Air India subsequently expanded drug screening across its pilot workforce, with two more pilots later found to have failed preliminary drug tests and being removed from flight duties as a precaution.

Around 400 pilots have so far been screened as part of the airline’s expanded internal testing exercise following the incident.

The Federation of Indian Pilots has urged consideration of oral-fluid testing as a complementary methodology within the existing regulatory framework, to help expand testing capacity as India’s aviation sector grows.

Photo by Chad Davis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

India is targeting an expansion of its airport network from 166 to 350 by 2047, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has said, as part of the government’s Viksit Bharat vision.

The government will spend Rs 28,840 crore over the next decade to build 100 new airports, with the UDAN regional connectivity scheme extended for another 10 years to support the plan.

Naidu also said a ‘Make in India’ aircraft could become a reality within two years, pointing to the C295 turboprop aircraft already being manufactured in Vadodara, Gujarat, with a civil version in development.

The minister flagged a growing pilot shortage as a key challenge, with India’s 63 existing Flying Training Organisations producing around 1,625 pilots annually against a requirement of roughly 2,500.

With more than 1,700 aircraft on order across Indian airlines, the government estimates the country will need close to 30,000 additional pilots over the next decade.

To address the gap, the government has approved 11 new Flying Training Organisations, with six more under review, alongside a new grading system aimed at improving training standards.

With more than 1,700 aircraft on order across Indian carriers, the government estimates the country will need close to 30,000 additional pilots over the next decade.

The government has approved 11 new Flying Training Organisations, with six more currently under review, alongside a new grading system intended to raise training standards across the sector.

India currently has 166 operational airports, up from 74 in 2014, and the government wants to more than double that number by 2047.

UDAN, the regional connectivity scheme aimed at making air travel affordable for smaller cities, has been extended for a further 10 years as part of this push.

On the manufacturing side, the minister said a ‘Make in India’ aircraft could become a reality within two years, pointing to the C295 turboprop already being manufactured in Vadodara, Gujarat.

Photo by Ashish Bhatnagar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

SpiceJet’s on-time performance crashed to just 34.5 percent in July, according to fresh Directorate General of Civil Aviation data, trailing well behind the rest of the industry.

IndiGo posted the strongest on-time record at 91.2 percent, with Akasa Air close behind at 90.8 percent, while Air India recorded 86.5 percent for the month.

The gap comes even as overall domestic air passenger traffic dropped nearly 5 percent year-on-year in July, with Indian carriers flying around 1.2 crore passengers.

IndiGo remained the dominant domestic player with a 67.4 percent market share and 80.82 lakh passengers, while the Air India group held a 24 percent share with 28.75 lakh passengers.

SpiceJet’s market share has shrunk to just 1.6 percent, with only 1.87 lakh passengers carried in July, a steep fall from the airline’s earlier standing in the market.

The figures extend a difficult year for SpiceJet, which continues to face scrutiny over operational reliability while IndiGo and Akasa Air post consistently strong punctuality numbers.

Overall flight cancellation rates across Indian carriers stood at 0.62 percent in July, with technical issues accounting for nearly 40 percent of all cancellations.

Among airports, Chennai recorded the best on-time performance overall at 96.7 percent in July, followed by Bengaluru at 94 percent and Hyderabad at 92.4 percent.

IndiGo carried 80.82 lakh passengers in July, giving it a dominant 67.4 percent share of the domestic market, well ahead of the Air India group’s 24 percent share.

Akasa Air carried 6.65 lakh passengers for a 5.5 percent market share in July, while SpiceJet’s share slipped further to just 1.6 percent with 1.87 lakh passengers.

DGCA’s on-time performance data covers 10 major airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Guwahati and Lucknow.

Under DGCA’s criteria, a flight is classified as delayed if its departure is more than 15 minutes behind the scheduled time.

Photo by Rehman Abubakr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0