An Air India pilot scheduled to fly a flight from Vancouver to Delhi (via Vienna) on December 23, 2025, would find it costly to get into the Yuletide mood.
A Vancouver duty-free employee either noticed him smelling like alcohol when purchasing a bottle or spotted him unintentionally drinking wine that was being served during this festive season. She informed the Canadian authorities about this Boeing 777 pilot, who was jailed after failing a breathalyser test.
Fortunately for travelers, Air India found a substitute fast. With only a two-hour delay, the ultra-long haul, which was scheduled to depart at 3 p.m. local time and was to be flown by four pilots or two sets (one captain and one co-pilot in each set) in turns, was completed. After landing in Vienna, the plane was flown to Delhi by a different crew.
"AI has adopted a very strict stance on this issue. A few days later, the pilot was taken to Delhi and is currently under investigation. According to persons with knowledge, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been informed of the problem and is looking into it as well.
Some sources claim that the pilot smelled like alcohol when purchasing a bottle, while another claim that a duty-free employee witnessed him unintentionally sipping an alcoholic beverage at the airport.
Although it's unclear which of the two actually occurred, a staff member reported the incident to Canadian authorities, who used CCTV footage to determine that the pilot in issue was operating with flight. They were able to track him down to the AI plane.
"AI 186 from Vancouver to Delhi on Dec 23, 2025, experienced a last-minute delay after one of the cockpit crew members was offloaded prior to departure," AI said in a statement.
The crew member was seized for additional investigation after Canadian officials expressed concerns about the pilot's suitability for duty. The delay was caused by an alternate pilot being rostered to fly the flight in compliance with safety procedures.
"Air India is fully collaborating with the local authorities and apologizes for the inconvenience caused to its passengers. While the investigation is underway, the pilot has been removed from flying duties.
Any infraction of applicable laws and regulations is met with zero tolerance by Air India. Any confirmed infraction will result in severe disciplinary action in accordance with corporate policy, pending the investigation's conclusion. "At all times, Air India's top priority is safety," the airline statement continued.
Due to the availability of alcohol on these flights, pre-flight breathalyzer (BA) tests are typically not performed on pilots working foreign sectors; instead, they are performed upon arrival.
This is to make sure they haven't had any drinks while in flight. Pre-flight BA tests are performed on domestic flights because alcohol is not sold or supplied on airplanes within India.
AI on its own has implemented a policy of conducting random pre-flight BA at overseas stations, notwithstanding though regulations do not require this.
The airline regularly sends its physicians on international flights, where they perform these examinations on the pilots who will fly the journey back to India.
Pilots are taken aback by this situation. "We don't even use mouthwash, fragrances, aftershaves, or homeopathic medications a few hours before to operating a flight, so forget about drinking.
Teetallers have failed BA tests on several occasions due to alcohol in their breath from using alcohol-containing products. With the exception of homeopathic medications, where there might not be a choice, we search for these products without alcohol," a captain stated. The explanation is that failing the BA exam three times results in the loss of a flying license.
