The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) have formally written to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India's aviation regulator, over the drug
screening tests being overhauled. The FIP are pushing for more frequent testing and a new method. The Pilots' body wants the DGCA to raise the mandatory annual random drug-testing quota from the current 10% of applicable staff to at least 25% without caps, with a caveat of picking the same pilot more than once a year. The federation is also pushing for testing oral-fluid (saliva) testing as a faster, more disruptive alternative to the current urine-only system. They are pushing for it to be an additional method, not as a replacement. They argue that India's aviation sector has grown too fast for a decade-old 10% urine test benchmark, to provide meaningful results. The federation says the saliva tests, can be done on the spot- even at ground stops- which can cut collection time by roughly two-thirds. They pointed to Australia, US and the UAE's aviation authorities, all of which already run of oral-fluid testing plans for workers, alongside urine tests. The FIP emphasises that this isn't about loosening the rules. Every proposal keeps the same chain in place, which is- screen, then confirm in a lab, then send it through independent medical review before any final call is made — meaning a "flagged" saliva or urine result alone can never be treated as proof that someone was actually impaired. They are also pushing for a confidential system that would let pilots disclose medications before a test, so that common prescriptions, cold medicines, or supplements don't trigger false flags in the first place. FIP is asking DGCA to start with a 12-month controlled pilot program at selected airports and airlines, instead of a national rollout, testing oral-fluid screening against real Indian operating conditions before any actual rule change is made.
