On Tuesday, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) called on the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to adopt oral fluid testing as an additional method to the current urine-based drug screening. This request aims to enhance the safety and effectiveness of drug testing within the aviation sector.
It also said that medical review should continue to be an integral part of the process, particularly where prescribed or legitimate therapeutic medication may explain a confirmed analytical finding, and added that such a framework would preserve the strengths of the existing system while providing DGCA with an additional operational tool.
“While the existing urine-testing system has an established regulatory and laboratory framework, FIP believes that the increasing scale of Indian aviation operations warrants consideration of additional testing methodology that can increase testing capacity, reduce operational disruptions and facilitate rapid testing at airports and other operational locations,” C S Randhawa, President of FIP, said in the submission. Noting that there is significant international precedent for permitting oral-fluid testing alongside urine testing, Randhawa said the additional mechanism could offer substantial advantage in the Indian aviation environment. “Urine testing may continue to be used where its longer detection window, established laboratory procedures or existing medical/regulatory requirements make it more appropriate, while any non-negative screening result should undergo validated confirmatory laboratory testing before any final regulatory, employment or medical determination,” the pilots body said.
