A total of 13 airline staffers from different airlines and airports have failed breath analyser tests for alcohol, India's aviation regulatory body Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official said on Monday.
The staff were all deployed in crucial positions.
In a random breath analyser test conducted between September 17 and October 22 at various airports in the country, 13 employees of airlines and airports were found positive. Out of these five were employed as drivers who ferry passengers.
According to information, four out of five drivers are from Indigo in Guwahati, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Ahmedabad while one was an employed by SpiceJet in Delhi.
"About 13 employees of various types have been found positive during the Breath Analyser Tests (BA) in the voluntary phase, Kindly note that the "Mandatory Phase" begins in November and shall entail our Surveillance & Watch on a regular basis. Importantly, most of these, are involved in Safety Sensitive functions at the Airport and can be a potential source of serious incident/Accident." DGCA Arun Kumar said.
"Employers have taken punitive action as proposed in the Civil Aviation Requirement and we acknowledge their co-operation and support. We perceive this as a significant step towards upgrading our Safety Standards. Finally, what is noticeable is that they are spread across airports or airlines," Arun Kumar said.
DGCA chief Arun Kumar had mooted the proposal to expand the scope of aviation personnel for BA tests to enhance safety.
Previously, only pilots and cabin crew had to mandatorily undergo these checks pre-flight for domestic flights and post-flight also for some international flights.
( With inputs from ANI )