NEW DELHI: The second drug test performed on the captain of the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight, which suddenly lost about 300 feet of altitude last week, has returned positive, Indian news TV channels reported on Tuesday.
Indian investigators are examining evidence linked to an Air India flight that plunged sharply mid-air last week, authorities said, as local media reported the pilot had tested positive for marijuana.
The Airbus A320 carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members lost about 300 feet (91 metres) of altitude shortly after departing from Thailand’s Phuket for New Delhi on August 4, before landing safely in the Indian capital.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said 24 people were injured in the incident, a higher figure than the 17 previously reported by the airline.
The AAIB said it was “presently engaged in the systematic collection, preservation and examination of all relevant technical, operational, medical and human-factor evidences”. The agency was “committed to an independent, transparent and professional investigation”, it said in a statement.
Indian media reports, meanwhile, said the chief pilot had failed a second drug screening test.
Broadcaster NDTV, citing unnamed sources, reported that the pilot had “smoked marijuana”. The aviation ministry said on Sunday that both pilots had undergone standard psychoactive substance screening after the flight landed in New Delhi.
The captain’s initial screening produced a result requiring confirmatory testing, with samples sent for further analysis, the ministry added. Both pilots had been removed from flying duties pending the outcome of the investigation, it said.
Air India on Tuesday said it could not comment on the reported test results because authorities had not shared the findings of the post-flight screening with them.
“We will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities as required,” an airline spokesperson said, adding that the carrier conducts regular drug testing for crew members.
The AAIB inquiry is being supported by Airbus and France’s civil aviation safety agency, the BEA.
An Airbus spokesperson said the manufacturer was providing technical assistance to Indian authorities, with a team of experts having been dispatched to Delhi. The BEA said it was involved in the investigation but did not plan to send investigators to India at this point.
The incident is the latest challenge for Air India as it seeks to overhaul its operations following a string of setbacks.
The carrier has faced disruption from the conflict in the Middle East and continuing operational pressures. Its reputation suffered a major blow in June 2025 when London-bound Flight 171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground.
Last week, the airline appointed former Ethiopian Airlines chief Tewolde Gebremariam as its new chief executive.
Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2026