Key Points
- CEO summoned after Phuket-Delhi flight lost 300 feet
- Both pilots removed from roster pending investigation
- Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau probing incident
ISLAMABAD: India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation has summoned Air India Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson for a briefing on an investigation into a serious in-flight incident after a Phuket-Delhi flight suddenly lost about 300 feet of altitude.
The incident reportedly injured 13 passengers and four crew members.
The summons came after a confirmatory laboratory test reportedly found the flight’s captain positive for marijuana, according to a Reuters source.
The pilot test results added a new dimension to an investigation already examining the circumstances surrounding the sudden loss of altitude.
The incident occurred on Aug. 4 aboard Air India flight AI2379, an Airbus A320neo travelling from Phuket, Thailand, to New Delhi.
The aircraft was carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members when it experienced a sudden change in altitude during the cruise phase over India’s Odisha state.
The aircraft continued its journey and landed safely at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. However, 13 passengers and four crew members sustained injuries and were taken for medical evaluation.
Air India initially described the event as a sudden loss of altitude during cruise. Early accounts linked the incident to turbulence, but the ongoing investigation has not established the cause, and Indian authorities have urged caution against drawing conclusions before all evidence is examined.
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The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), India’s body responsible for investigating aircraft accidents and serious incidents, is leading the investigation.
The bureau has called for restraint in interpreting preliminary information until investigators have examined the available evidence.
Drug test adds new dimension
The captain underwent mandatory post-flight screening for psychoactive substances, along with the co-pilot, following the incident.
The captain’s initial screening result required further laboratory testing. That confirmatory test subsequently returned positive for marijuana, according to the source cited by Reuters.
The substance identified in the test had not been disclosed when Indian authorities first announced that additional testing was required.
That question remains part of the investigation, and authorities have yet to publicly establish a causal link between the drug-test result and the incident.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the country’s aviation regulator, had removed both pilots from the flight roster pending the outcome of the investigation after the initial screening result prompted further testing.
Ministry seeks answers from airline
The Ministry of Civil Aviation summoned Wilson to obtain an update on the investigation and has asked the airline chief to seek explanations from the relevant departments.
Wilson has confirmed that Air India is cooperating with the authorities. The airline has not publicly commented on the reported confirmatory test result.
Air India has said that its post-flight screening was conducted according to applicable procedures and that it was cooperating with the investigation.
The aircraft manufacturer has also been notified, with Airbus experts reportedly joining the probe.
Safety scrutiny follows earlier Air India crash
The latest incident comes at a particularly sensitive time for Air India, which has faced heightened safety scrutiny following the crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad in June 2025.
That crash, involving flight AI171 bound for London Gatwick, killed the vast majority of people aboard and others on the ground, prompting an extensive investigation and renewed scrutiny of safety procedures at the country’s flag carrier.
The company is in the middle of a major transformation under the ownership of the Tata Group, which took control of the airline in 2022 as part of its privatisation.
The AAIB’s final findings are expected to provide a clearer account of what happened aboard AI2379 and whether any operational, technical, or regulatory measures are required to prevent a recurrence.
