Twenty pilots belonging to different commercial airlines were found to be 'alcohol positive' in pre-flight tests between June last year and February this year, the government said on Wednesday.
"20 pilots have tested alcohol positive during pre- flight medical examination for the consumption of alcohol while on duty from June 1, 2011 to February 29, 2012," Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
In the details provided by Singh, 19 of these 20 pilots have been kept off flying duty for a period of 3 months.
In one instance in January this year when the pilot had been tested positive for a second time, his licence was cancelled for a period of 5 years, Singh said.
Singh told the House that rules required airlines to conduct the tests before all domestic flights and every 15 days at foreign airports.