Drnik and pilot a flight?

Every time we fly in any airline, subconsciously we always have a prayer on our lips and hearts. We hope and pray that we land safely at our destination. And this is more to do with the ability, expertise and attitude of the pilots.

There is worrisome news though - According to figures released Thursday in Parliament by Mahesh Sharma, India’s junior minister for civil aviation, 112 pilots failed blood-alcohol tests from January 2013 to this April.Pilots have to take Breathalyzer tests before each flight in India — 45 minutes ahead of departure time for domestic routes and one and a half hours before on international itineraries.

Shockingly, if you expected Air India to be right there at the top of list employing such errant pilots, then we have news. Maximum out of the 112 pilots came from Indigo and then Jet. Then came Spicejet and then Air India.

Any airline pilot who fails the blood-alcohol test in India is suspended by the aviation regulator for a period of three months. A repeat violation results in suspension of flying license for a period of three years. The license is canceled after a third offense.

The bigger question that we need to ask here – why do majority of the pilots have a drinking issue?