Air India captain’s confirmatory drug test positive for marijuana

WEB DESK: The captain of an Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that suddenly lost about 300 feet of altitude last week has tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory drug test, a source familiar with the matter said.

Earlier on Tuesday, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation summoned Air India CEO Campbell Wilson over the incident, which involved an Airbus A320neo aircraft, a second source said.

Air India and the ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Wilson told news channels the airline had briefed the ministry on the status of the investigation into the incident.

The summons came days after Indian authorities opened an investigation into the incident, which injured 13 passengers and four crew members.

The flight from the Thai tourist city experienced a “momentary altitude variation” while it was flying over the eastern Indian state of Odisha, the government had said earlier.

The aircraft, carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, landed safely in Delhi.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said the captain’s initial screening for psychoactive substances produced a result requiring confirmatory laboratory testing.

Air India had said that it had not been informed of the results. The airline is majority-owned by the Tata Group, with Singapore Airlines holding a roughly 25 per cent stake.