'No Mouthwash, Tooth Gel or Any Substance with Alcohol...': DGCA Norms for Pilots & Crew Members

Pilots and crew members cannot use mouthwash, tooth gel or any substance that has alcoholic content as that could result in positive breath analyser test. India’s aviation regulator said on Wednesday that it has revised norms for the medical examination of aircraft personnel for alcohol consumption so as to enhance safety of aircraft operations and streamline existing regulations.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) have been revised with the objective of enhancing safety of aircraft operations and for streamlining provisions of the existing regulations in line with feedback from industry and stakeholders from time to time for more effective implementation.

Here is all you need to know:

1. According to the revised norms, no crew member shall consume any drug/formulation or use any substance such as mouthwash/tooth gel or any such product that has alcoholic content. This may result in positive breath analyser test. Any crew member undergoing such medication shall consult the company doctor before undertaking flying assignment, the DGCA said.
2. In its draft CAR earlier, the watchdog had proposed barring crew from using any “drug/formulation or use any substance such as mouthwash/tooth gel/perfume or any such product which has alcoholic content”. The word ‘perfume’, however, is not included in the final CAR.
3. To prevent missed breath analyser cases, a provision has been introduced where the operating crew travelling as passengers shall undergo breath analyser test at the boarding station in case of ramp-to-ramp transfer for operating flight.
4. Camera recording of breath analyser testing has been made mandatory for the operators engaged in seasonal pilgrimage operations and non-scheduled operators.
5. State governments are to ensure the compliance of this requirement at base stations and in cases where they are away from base station for more than two days and operate a flight from there.
6. If any crew member/student pilot after reaching the airport feels that he/she is unable to discharge their flying duties safely due to sickness, they will intimate their company and, in such case, the breath analyser test shall not be conducted, and this will not be considered as missed BA. The crew member/student pilot, however, shall not be rostered for flying duties on that day and, subsequently, shall be rostered for flying duties after review by the company doctor.
7. All scheduled operators, each flight crew member and cabin crew member shall be subjected to pre-flight breath analyser examination at first departure airport during a flight duty period.
8. For all scheduled flights originating from destinations outside India, post-flight breath analyser examination of each flight crew and cabin crew shall be carried out at the first port of landing in India.
9. Stringent punishments are in place when a crew tests positive in a breath analyser test, depending on whether it is repetitive. It is applicable for both pre and post-flight tests.
10. Breath analyser equipment with fuel cell technology has been made mandatory and a procedure for oversight and surveillance of calibration agencies has been introduced.

(With PTI inputs)