NEW RULES FOR PILOT BREATHALYSER TESTS

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has made significant revisions to the civil aviation requirements (CAR) regarding breath analyser (BA) examinations for flight crew by relaxing the treatment to the first violation for up to 0.009% of blood alcohol content with counselling, which was earlier dealt with a three-month suspension.

- Dhairya Gajara

The revised air safety CAR for pre-flight breath analyser test introduces a more nuanced approach for very low alcohol readings, it overall tightens the leash on repeat offenders, including the permanent revocation of flying privileges for certain violations.

For the first time, the regulator has introduced a provision for extremely low readings for first-time offenders. According to the updated rules, BA reading of up to 0.009gm/100ml of blood, the violation will not be endorsed on the crew member's license, allowing them to return to duty after counseling without a permanent black mark. The move is considered to bring leniency in the norms as the same violation earlier attracted suspension for three months.