As per sources, tough questions were put to the Air India management during the meeting, with the Ministry seeking clarity on the sequence of events and the measures taken by the airline following the occurrence
The Centre on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) summoned Air India’s management to seek a detailed update on the August 4 Phuket-Delhi flight incident, sources told businessline.According to sources, senior Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) officials pulled up the airline’s management over the occurrence.Later in the day, MoCA in a statement said that the number of passengers injured in the incident had risen to 20, excluding four cabin crew members who were also injured during the occurrence.In another development, sources indicated that the secondary psychoactive-substance test of the pilot-in-command had returned positive.However, the result has not been officially confirmed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) or Air India.Serious viewMeanwhile, Tuesday’s meeting assumed significance as MoCA has taken a serious view of the incident involving Air India flight AI2379, which suffered a sudden altitude variation of approximately 300 feet during cruise before stabilising and landing safely in Delhi.As per sources, tough questions were put to the Air India management during the meeting, with the Ministry seeking clarity on the sequence of events and the measures taken by the airline following the occurrence.Speaking to reporters later in the day, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said the Ministry wanted a direct update from Air India on how it was handling the incident.Aviation safetyHe said aviation safety remained the top priority for the Ministry and that there should be no compromise by any stakeholder, including airlines and regulators.At present, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has taken up the investigation into the incident.He added that the Ministry would also examine the regulatory framework relating to substance use by aviation personnel.In its statement, MoCA further said that France’s Bureau of Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA), along with technical representatives of Airbus, was providing necessary technical assistance to the AAIB.Businessline had reported the development regarding BEA on Monday.The assistance includes relevant technical information and design documentation, the statement said.Published on August 11, 2026
