New Delhi: After making breath analyser tests for alcohol use mandatory for airside staff last year, aviation regulator DGCA wants to test all aviation personnel like pilots, flight crew and air traffic control for consumption of psychoactive substance like cannabis, opioids and their variants.

The proposal has been uploaded on the DGCA website for public consultations. The draft regulation is open for comments from the public till April 6. The DGCA said this test is in line with ICAO policy and procedures already prescribed by other top aviation agencies like the US FAA and EU Aviation Safety Agency. Once okayed, it will be the first time such a test will be done in India’s aviation sector. These random tests will cover 10 per cent employees of each organisation in a period of one year.  For the testing, urine sample will be used.