Air India’s captain on flight AI2379 from Phuket to Delhi has reportedly tested positive in a confirmatory drug test after the Airbus A320neo suffered a mid-air altitude-loss incident over India on 4 August. The flight landed safely in Delhi, but the development has intensified scrutiny of the crew’s fitness for duty as investigators examine a serious event that injured passengers and crew.
The aircraft lost about 300 feet while cruising over Odisha before continuing to its destination with 137 passengers and eight crew on board. India’s civil aviation ministry had earlier classified the event as a serious incident and ordered laboratory analysis after the pilot’s initial screening returned a non-negative result. Airbus specialists are assisting the probe, and investigators have secured the flight recorders for examination.
The reported positive result has not been formally detailed in public by authorities, and earlier coverage indicated the airline had not yet received final laboratory findings. Injury totals have varied across reports, with counts ranging from 17 to 24, leaving that figure unresolved as the investigation continues.